Harmony
by Judeca
Summary: In musical terms, he was noise and she the silence, obviously those elements in a musical piece were a disaster. Thankfully both only wanted to be together, not become the next great symphony or number one billboard. Fire Nation Royal Family Week.
1. Drifting

Notes: AU modern era. No bending, but in the avatar world.

**01.** Drifting

She focused on the score as usual, following the lead of the pianist without doubt. After all her partner never committed a mistake. Or almost never, so she didn't.

The sharp sound of the keys being hit with force, stopped her.

"You sound so plain! You bore me!" Her partner complained.

She slowly blinked. She sounded the same as the other fifty times they have played the piece.

"That's not true." The girl with fluorescent pink nails piped out. "Well, a bit depressing but it's Mai." Her friend offered a soft smile from behind her partner.

Mai rolled her eyes, as usual Ty Lee could never disagree with Azula.

"I'm not going to play some dreadful or mournful song to go with her mood." Azula stated, turning to Ty Lee with anger. The music sheets felt from the music desk. "It's supposed to be a happy song, Mai! I even chose one that it's supposed to be a favourite of the violinists."

Yes, Azula chose La Campanella of Franz Liszt to display her abilities as pianist, not hers as violinist. And Mai's just accompanied Azula, not the other way around.

"I didn't do a mistake." She replied. And indeed she didn't, she performed the piece with perfection and didn't dare to make the violin the protagonist.

"Oh, please!" Azula got up "Are you expecting our rivals to make a mistake in the Concours?" She fumed hitting the keys one more time. No it's _The frigging Concours_ were the best musicians from all the Nations showed. So obviously, she didn't expect them to make stupid mistakes.

She denied with her head.

"You heard Li and Lo, we must play beyond perfection." Azula always played beyond perfection, it's in her blood. Her father was a renowned pianist, her mother a renowned oboist, her grandfather a renowned compositor, blah, blah, blah. "You sound like a machine, put some happiness, like me." She wanted to snort. "I imagine those losers staying in the backside of their poor countries, dying of hungry and trying to show deaf people twinkle, twinkle little star."

That sounded like paradise for Azula.

Azula stretched and took sit.

"Let's do it again." She ordered. Ty Lee arranged the music sheets, to start from the beginning "And no mistakes, Mai."

She sighed. She didn't have anything to do anyway. Even if she went home, her mother was going to make her practice until she collapsed. She waited for Azula to start and followed her as usual.

It had been this way since she remembered. The three had gone to the Private National Academy for Girls. Azula had talked to her because she had been the only person in the music workshop who had known the difference between a clarinet and an oboe. Or Maybe Azula recognised her, after all Mai's father had been the Curator of the National Fire Heritage Museum, the most important museum of the Fire Nation and Ozai, had liked to play in the small auditorium the Museum has. Nevertheless both didn't talk with the other girls, who played with dolls, watched TV and ate junk food. Azula's toys had been music instruments and Mai's ballet shoes. Ty Lee had tagged alone on the way, fascinated by Azula ability when playing instruments in the classroom.

Azula stroke the piano once more.

"You made a mistake!" She shouted.

"No, I..." She had been playing according to the score.

Azula threw the music sheets. "You fucking did!" She's used to her displays, very similar to her brother "You heard it too?" she turned around to Ty Lee.

"Actually, you did" she answered with sincerity. Well _maybe_ Mai did a mistake.

"I'll start again" she focused in the sheet and started playing, one more time.

"You bore me!" Azula grumbled again. Mai rolled her eyes. "Oh, stop, stop!"

She was bored of practicing anyway. Maybe she could take a break or something.

"Ty Lee, you practice." Azula ordered. Ty Lee started to play the violin almost at the same time than Mai, she did it for fun and was not interested in making a career or winning a damn Concours. She was not bad, but lazy.

Ty Lee apologized with her eyes. She couldn't care less. Playing with Azula was like this, you do all the mistakes and you have to practice with her until you do same as hers; beyond perfect.

She put her violin in the case. Ty Lee took her place, while Azula arranged the music sheets. She was going to take sit when Azula spoke again.

"You go and fuck my failure of a brother or Ruon-Jian or someone else" Mai turned around and stared at Azula. Even Ty Lee gaped at her. "I don't want to hear your dreadful playing again."

She took her case and got out the room. She heard Ty Lee reprehending Azula in the background.

"What? She likes to..." was the last thing she heard before the door to the practice room in Azula's house closed.

The servant looked at her with surprise. The whole staff should know that Azula was practicing for the Concours, and she had given the same instructions as usual. Bottles of water every two or three hours, light food for meals. Everything should be left in a serving tray. No interruption or they were going to be fired.

Her cabifyre was in time when she got out from the front door. It's almost eight, the traffic in the city was at its peak, probably it was going to take her almost an hour to go to aunt Mura's department.

She watched the city from the window. Republic City had never been of her liking, too much noise, too many people, too bright. However it's the seat of the International Young Virtuous Concours, the most important Concours any aspiring musician should participate. The winner would have the financial support to study in one of the bests Universities of the Four Nations or the Republic. And once finished a position in one of the five most important Orchestras. Even if you didn't win the Concours, the Universities chose between the best participants to give some scholarships or at least select them without having to apply.

Mai knew she wouldn't win the Concours, her role was to support Azula but she wanted a scholarship to study outside the Fire Nation and far away from her parents. Ba Sing Se or Northern Water Tribe sounded far enough. She got outside the taxi when she arrived at the white building her aunt was borrowing her mother and her until the Concours was held.

She hoped her mother was in a dinner with her boring friends.

"Why are you here?" She heard before even opening the door.

Her mother was in a golden dress, high heels and white gloves.

"You should go back to Azula." Her mother dismissed her, while trying to fix her earrings "We can't have you failing." Yes, Mai friendship with Azula was good for them. Her father had learnt to please Ozai and usually if he wanted to play in some place or another, he demanded her father to be in charge of the place as long as Ozai played there. And of course mother loved to be in all those important reunions. Most often than not, she believed her parent's wish was for Mai to becoming Azula's servant. "Did you listen to me, girl?"

Mai nodded.

"Then, what are you doing here?" Her mother angrily berated her and put the coat in a rushed manner "Go back to practice with her!"

"She has some classes at six" Mai lied, she couldn't tell her mother the truth. "And has homework."

Azula was recognised as a prodigious pianist, daughter of the Virtuoso Ozai, owner of the biggest record label, but she still was a high school student.

"Fine, go and practice alone." Her mother demanded. "I'll be late, but you better go to sleep early and star practicing at six."

She nodded. The house was going to be all for herself.

"By the way, I heard a rumour." Of course she heard it, she loved to gossip almost as she loved to spend money. "That shameful offspring of the Virtuoso." She used to call him by his name and be very proud of have him and his sister in her table, twice or thrice a week. "He made into the competition, did he?"

She nodded. Zuko entrance in the Concours had been a difficult one. He was in the limit age, he had applied in the Earth Kingdome instead of the Fire Nation as he should have. Rumour has it, Il Divo Iroh had something to do with it.

"Why you haven't told me?" her mother narrowed her eyes.

She shrugged.

"I don't want you near _him_." She wondered if she would allow it, if she told Azula had ordered her to fuck him."You can't soil your reputation." Mai looked her mother handbag. It's a Burberry, a new one. "Did you heard me? "

She nodded.

Her mother followed her eyes and clutched the bag. "I'm trying to find a better sponsor for your father's project." And that somehow involved buying a freaking Burberry, how convenient for her. "Don't look at me like that, young lady." Mai didn't know why she cared, all her life her mother had over expended. "Or you will have to fend for yourself."

She blinked. The old treat. Still Mai was useful as long as she was friend with Azula, she supposed.

"If we closed this new deal. I'll buy you something nice. Manolo's shoes, a Stephane Rolland or Alexandre Vauthier's dress." She gave her the usual critical eye. Too thin, her neck too long, almost no breasts, no hips, ugly fingernails. "Something to get you a good husband. Roun-Jin is not bad, he could be a model after his career as rockstar." Yes because she was dying to be somebody wife. "It would have been easier if you stayed as a ballerina." That's an old one too. "So don't fool around with that disfigured, unless you want to marry a nobody." Yes, what a shame to not appear in the social pages. "And you will not ruin us or Tom-Tom!"

How dare she ruin precious Tom-Tom's life. Too bad she wasn't the one wasting the money in high fashion brands or parties like father.

She stood in the same spot until mother had gone. She went to her room leaving the violin outside. The night was so bright, so noisy. She could hear the horn of the cars in the street. And it's barely nine.

Her phone vibrated. Ty Lee sent her a photo. Azula was eating while Ty Lee was trying to study. _Sorry_ said the text.

She got out the conversation, she was in no mood to forgive Azula. Ty Lee always did, always had an excuse for Azula's actions. Right now, she probably was thinking in the excuse she was going to give to Mai. _Azula is under a lot of pressure, her father only talks about how she has to win the Concours or he'll disinherit her. Besides it'd been her dream since childhood._

She knew what was being the child of the Virtuoso Ozai. That had almost killed Zuko four years ago. His shadow still was poisoning his son. And yet despite everything, Zuko never harmed her or those around him. She couldn't say the same about himself.

She took a picture of the view from her window, where the lights of the city seemed brighter and sent it.

There's no excuse for what Azula had said. She knew Mai relationship with Zuko and yes, she had done it with him, but not like Azula insinuated. Well sometimes, but she's no whore. She has feelings for him, a lot of feelings. Ruon-Jian was someone she had to endure because Azula liked to have control over Chan's pop band. She as Azula didn't had a true relationship with him.

The reply came. A coke on a white balcony. Maybe he was at a party. Was he having fun? She sent a photo of the ceiling. The reply was the floor, maybe from the balcony he was. Her shoes left on the floor. His boots. Her empty bag. Some trees from above. Her mattress. His jacket. Her toes. His fingers. Her knee. His wrist.

She took her blouse out and let her hair fall over her shoulder. He sent several emojis of the skull. Her hair in the mattress. People behind a curtain. Too bad he wasn't alone. She sent several emojis of the knife. He sent the emoji of the moon and the start. She sent a photo of her hand in the mattress.

He took a lot of time to answer and when he did the photo of a smiling guy with an angry Zuko trying to take the phone was her answer. She had never talked to him, she believed some months ago Zuko had befriend that water tribe boy. She laughed.

He sent her a voice message.

"_I'm sorry._"

She sent him the emoji of the skull and the moon.

He answered the same.

She replayed his message until she fell asleep.

•

English is not my first language and I didn't have time to search for a betareader but I wanted to participate in the Fire Nation Royal Family Week. Feel free to advice if you find mistakes.


	2. Ceremony

**02.** Ceremony

The Director of the Republic City University finished his speech and everybody stood up and clapped. As it's expected. Obviously none of them put attention, not really. The inaugural speech was more about seen your rivals than anything else. In this case, rekindle bad feelings and long standing rivalries.

Most of the candidates knew each other already. After all the selection was between those who had the best performance in minor competitions, that was the main reason rarely an unknown candidate made it. Each Nation chose the best two candidates to go to the Concours. Then the eight participants presented their piece and the judges selected the winner. When his father participated, the format was each musician for himself. However in the last years the judges had insisted on forming duos, preferably form different nations, this was an attempt to create strong bonds between the Nations.

This format had had his failures, usually a couple or two broke before the presentation. Although the teachers tried to mediate any kind of disagreement, sometimes there was no help. For that reason, each Nation brings an additional candidate who can act as substitute if needed.

Today was the reception for all of them, even if they had already arrived and settled two weeks ago. But today marked the begging of the most difficult three months of the competition, when the candidates were forced to have regular classes in the same campus. In other words to live together. Meanwhile they prepare their musical piece.

"Yes!" Sokka put an arm in his shoulders while they walked to the banquet. "Free food at last!"

Zuko pushed Sokka's arm. He was the third selection of the Water Tribe, he didn't mind it at all. He was here for the free food and take care of his little sister.

"The only reason to be here." Toph pushed Zuko with her shoulder.

"Can you see if they have vegetarian food?" Aang asked him from behind.

Zuko smiled and was dragged to the table with the food. This was his second time in the Concours, however it felt completely different. He was enjoying this time, he liked most of his companions, he felt happy.

"Come on, Zuko!" Katara grabbed his hand. "Let's enjoy."

Each of them were opponents, only one of them could have that scholarship to study without having to worry too much about the future. However none of his new friends were obsessed with the idea of winning.

"Is that bacon?" Katara asked him, pointing a Serrano's ham enveloping a grape and a piece of cheese.

Someone laughed behind them. "At least someone will learn something from this distasteful selection." The hairs of his nape stood up.

He knew he was going to face her, that they were going to talk, they needed to talk. And yet he hadn't prepared anything.

"If you don't like, you should go." Zuko watched Katara. Azula smirked. They hated each other.

"I came here to say hi, to my dear brother." He wanted to snort. "After all, it had been a long time."

Almost four years. She hadn't cared for him in the least.

"Nice to see you."

"How cold, Zuzu." He hated that name. "You don't what to see us at all.?" She mocked him. "Poor Mai, she even arranged herself for you."

He looked at Mai. He had seen her in the opening ceremony, he had put more attention to her neck and bare shoulders than to the principal. Beautiful, remarkably beautiful. She glanced him but keep herself distant.

Ty Lee saluted him with the hand. A lot of people thought bad about Mai, because she rarely expressed emotions, but for him it's Ty Lee the creepiest one. Smiling between the stoic Mai and the angry Azula.

"Happy to see you, both." And that was said with sincerity.

"It's been a while, Zuko." Ty Lee spoke. "I'm happy to see you again." Both smiled.

"Let's go! Unless you want to stay Mai." Azula insisted. Mai only blinked. "Same, I don't want to waste my time."

The trio went as they came.

"She's as horrible as usual." Katara expressed filling her plate with different food. "I can't believe she won the last international championship." Yes, last year Azula had won the International Championship for Young Musicians. Katara had been the third and Toph the second. "With Salut d'amour" Impressive as it was, Azula had won with one of the most romantic songs ever written.

"They came to give problems?" Sokka asked.

"No, they only came to say hi." He answered.

Sokka cocked his brow and Katara questioned him with her eyes. His sister was complicated, why she had come could be a mystery. Or perhaps she only came to tease him and torture Mai.

"Let them be." Katara said. "I'm not going to let Azula get into my skin." Yeah, he had not known the details because he had been too old to participate in the Young Musician category, but Azula had unsettled Katara with the old story about Ozai and her mother.

Kya, had been a talented oboist, who once had encounter Ozai. Kya had been a brave woman, she had faced Ozai when he behaved similar to Azula and she never let Ozai take her down. For obvious reasons his father hated Kya. Going so far to make the Republic City Orchestra fired her. They didn't know the details of how this was achieved. The official reports told that Kya was involved in the consumption of illegal drugs and improper behaviour.

Katara hadn't known the content of the official report. Her mother never talked to her about that part of her life, just told her to not trust to much in the people and that she left the Orchestra for been a fool and naïve. When Azula noticed that Katara didn't know the whole story, and took the opportunity to upset her with stories Azula had heard from Ozai. However, brash and stupid Jet, tried to woe Katara allowing her into the old records. Katara found that it had been Ozai the one to expose Kya to the board, the proofs about the consumption of illegal drugs were unclear but with the musicians raised by Ozai to press the board, they took the decision of firing Kya.

By the time Katara learn the truth, she had wasted too much time searching for the records. Besides her relationship with Jet had distracted her and she didn't practice the enough for the competition. All in all it had not been a total waste. She strength her desire to win the Concours to be part of an Orchestra and maybe one day clean her mother's name. Her relationship with Jet was a total failure, but once she knew that Ozai had something to do with her mother disgrace, she looked for another source of information: Zuko.

"You should try these, Katara." Aang brought some pastries. She took them without hesitation. "And there're more fruits in that part."

Katara smiled at him and Sokka grabbed him by the elbow. Toph was eating all the food Suki put in her plate. Sokka joined Suki and Toph. Aang grabbed Katara by the hand to select the fruits they were going to eat.

He definitely was going to enjoy the Concours this time. All of them were good musicians, but also his friends.

Not always had been like that. After his breakdown in his first Concours, he was disinherited by his father. Back then he had thought that the only way he had to come back to his father and the Fire Nation was to prepare himself to win the next Concours. The Concours was only once in four years. Few had the opportunity to be in it two times. His uncle had taken him to the Earth Kingdome where he had been living since Lu Ten's dead.

Those were the hardest months of his life. When he had tried to play the piano but couldn't. There's nothing wrong with his hands or his head, at least not physically and yet he couldn't play. He thought that he had some physical damage, something with his ear. He dragged his uncle to see all the physicians in Ba Sing Se. All of them gave him the same answer. He had no physical alignment. It's something mental. It took him more months to simply accept this fact. Well, nobody wanted to accept that your own father burned you. Zuko had excused him, believing it had been an accident. Zuko had performed terribly in the rehearsal of the song he was going to play in the Concours, his father had been so angered that he didn't realize that he accidentally had burned his son. He didn't remember some parts of that night, he did remember the pain though. The recovery had been excruciatingly painful, he had done fair enough playing the piece in the music room in the University, however in the night of the Concours, with his father watching him. He didn't finish even the first page, before he collapsed.

It's in the middle of his recovery he met Aang. Who had gone to Ba Sing Se in order to abroad his knowledge. And he had been jealous of his natural ability with almost all the instruments, how his technique was perfect, how his music touched anybody who listen him. He had hated it, because to Zuko playing the piano hadn't been about ability but hard practice. He had not played with toys, he had been given music sheets. Meanwhile the children of his age played soccer or basketball, he was learning musical scales. He never watched TV, he listened Beethoven, Debussy Chopin, Rachmaninoff, etc. Aang had friends from different Nations. Zuko only had anger.

He said and did awful things to Katara, Toph, Sokka and Suki. He did it to Jet too, but he was an asshole so he didn't feel sorry for him. Thankfully, they forgave him and he started to get better. So good that he got the second place in the Earth Music Competition, that gave him the second chance to be in the Concours. He felt sorry for Suki, because she was a good cellist. However she told him that he was an idiot and anyway she preferred old instruments like the shamisen or the erhu.

He went to the bathroom after tasting all the juices Aang gave him. He was coming back when he saw her. She looked really nice in the dark blue dress she had chose. Her hair was in a messy bun, some little locks of her hair fall down to her shoulders. He had not seen her in a while. He had been full of rage when he received the call from her mother telling him to never talk to Mai again. They had forbidden her to even acknowledge him.

Her skin was as smooth as he remembered it. She looked surprised, then looked with worry the stairs and the window. He took her to the next floor, where some renovations were taking place.

She kissed him, with the same feverish need he had. It had been a torture knowing she was only a few blocks away from him and not been able to see her. And with all that photographs of her. He had been waiting the moment they could be together.

"I have miss you" He said while kissing and biting bits of her shoulder and neck. He had imagine doing her a lot of things once they were alone.

She cared his left side. He closed his eyes. He's uncomfortable with anybody touching the scars, and yet she did it every time, somehow he couldn't tell her no. She kissed him again, getting as close as she could. He hugged her, feeling his body jolt.

She stopped him, putting her hands in his chest. She was breathing rapidly. He kissed her fingers, the palm of her left hand, her wrist. There's sadness in her eyes. He embraced her and they stood like that for a while.

When they separate, he kept her hand.

"Sokka's plans to party all night" She frowned. "Suki wants to go to the karaoke and Toph said we could crash her apartment." She made a sour expression. He knew, she couldn't go with them, even if he begged. "I could disappear and with Sokka and Aang outside the department." She got his meaning.

"At ten?"

It worked fine for him.

She left with a quick kiss. Zuko waited. When Sokka had announced his intentions he had grunted. He didn't liked to dance or parties or people in general and had been thinking in a good excuse to not go, now he had a good reason.

He went back at his friends as if nothing had happened. Toph mocked him for his lateness in the bathroom. He bore the jokes with unusual patience. No one said anything and as promised by Sokka after the ceremony had ended, all of them wasted time until eight, when they went to the karaoke.

He made the fool for an hour, before sneaking with the lame excuse of having to call Iroh, he lied telling them that he will go to Toph apartment later. He hid whatever thing he thought improper and prepared healthy snacks. When she knocked the door, he was ready. He definitely preferred the Mai with leather jacket and industrial boots.

She looked at the department with her poker face and he thought that he should have clean, it still was the apartment were three guys lived. He just expected to had had the time to hide all of Sokka's socks or Aang's candies.

Mai should have sensed his uneasiness because she was smirking.

"It doesn't smell bad, right?" They cleaned regularly, but he didn't remember when they did it that week.

She cocked her brow and he waited impatiently for her reply. She let her violin's case in the floor and slowly put her hands in his chest. She stood in her tiptoes and whispered in his ear.

"You aren't already naked."


	3. Broken

**03\. **Broken

She nodded and all around her laughed. She's suppose to do the same, just she couldn't. She didn't even knew what they were saying, it didn't mattered either. Azula's talking and the people around her followed her. People did that, because Azula was the daughter of Virtuoso Ozai and he had power in the music industry, he owned the biggest record label in the world and is a shareholder in several. No to mention he still is a renowned pianist and the Orchestras begged him to play with them.

Ruon-Jian squeezed her shoulder and she fights the urge to push him. He's Chan's best friend, a boy who Azula likes to toy. She didn't minded, he started to talk to Azula once he knew who she was and he wanted free press for his lame pop band. Although they thought they play rock because they use leather. He was the leading guitarist and Ruon-Jian played the bass. Their band was atrocious, she had heard kids with ten or less playing Bach who had more talent than them.

"You will come, then?" Chan asked.

"Sure, will be fun." Azula answered and Ty Lee smiled.

"A lot of fun." Ruon-Jin murmured to her and flipped his hair. He's out of his fucking mind. "Like last time." Fine, she did fool around with him in the Fire Nation when she had a fight with Zuko. But it's just once, both were drunk, they had their clothes on and she didn't finish.

"Remember, dark cloth is the code." Chan tried to swag

"Easy for Mai, all her clothes are dark." Azula mocked her, she bore it.

"All her clothes." Roun-Jin winked, all laughed. She gagged and stood up at once. "Come one-" He tried to grab her hand but she walked away from them. Azula called her, Chan said something about been too sensible and Ty Lee told her it was just a joke.

She knew, she knew it was just a fucking joke. But she didn't wanted to be with Roun-Jin, she didn't wanted to bore his stupid jokes or him talking about her clothes. She walked through the campus, not knowing where to go. Azula couldn't practice today and tomorrow because she needed to finish some homework. For real this time.

Maybe she could go and stay with her aunt in the little flower shop she owned in the city, it's better than going home and be with mother. She was searching in her phone for a ride when someone bumped into her.

"Sorry" the guy apologized. He glanced her for a few seconds before continued his way "You know how he is, Katara." He spoke to a girl who walked in front of him.

"He swings moods more than us" The girl with short hair answered. The guy and her laughed.

"That's not funny" The girl, Katara she guessed, reproached him. "We should do something to make him feel... happy."

"Suki's right, he was happy" The guy replied nonchalantly. "And then in the last days he's angry. Anyway, you're not his nanny."

"You're his friend" Mai didn't hear more about the conversation because they keep walking.

Mai looked at the guy, he's Zuko's friend! The water tribe boy. Were they talking about Zuko? Was he upset? She didn't like the tone the water tribe girl used. Too concern. She observed his surroundings, she was near the music room's used to practice in the Campus.

She walked, she found the Air's monk laughing hysterically, maybe the blind girl said a good joke. She kept walking.

He had a dishevelled hair and was practicing, hitting the keys with too much force, he was way out of tune. He knew he's not playing correctly, however he kept hitting angrily. His interpretation of Rachmaninoff always sounded desperate, Azula mocked him because he didn't have the ability to compensate for his lack of big hands. Mai thought Zuko's problem was trying to imitate someone instead of just playing. His hands were fine, they weren't big but his fingers knew what were they doing when he relaxed. She definitely approved his technique with his fingers.

"I'm not going, Katara" He growled while trying to play the damn piano concerto No 3°.

Mai closed the door behind her. He's really tense, even through his t-shirt she could sense the force he was using in his clavicles. She put a hand in the space between, she wondered if he used the same force when they were having sex. He stopped playing and she kissed his nape.

He turned around and stared at her with surprise. Was he amazed because she was there o because she wasn't the person he thought? She sat in the bench facing the door. He narrowed his eyes, he moved his mouth but didn't said anything. She waited. He clenched his teeth then faced the piano again.

She didn't know why he was angry. She put her head in his shoulder.

"Weren't you having fun with your new boyfriend?" Zuko spat cracking his knuckles. She raised her head and cocked her brow. Was he referring to... She smirked. "You seemed to coz-"

She kissed him, he tried to stop her. She grabbed him by the nape. There was rage in his eyes, he tried to push her. She didn't let him. He tried to bit her, she put her hand in his crotch. He made a painful gesture then he hugged her. She got on the bench, toping Zuko. He looked at her eyes pleading, she stopped and let her head rest in his shoulder.

"He makes me sick." She didn't wanted to see Ruon-Jin again.

Zuko sighed, putting his forehead on hers. They stayed like that for a time, when he let her go, he was calmer. Mai sat facing the piano and interlaced her fingers with him. He didn't fight this time.

"Why?" He asked.

"He's a douchebag."

"No, why you let him touch you." His raspy voice sounded wounded.

He usually put his arm in her shoulders.

"Azula likes to fool around with his best friend." She didn't know the true reason for that.

"Azula likes someone?" he didn't believed her.

"No, he's her favourite pet." They weren't a couple. Sure Azula kissed him once or twice, she wasn't sure but Azula hadn't done anything beyond that with Chan.

"I thought that was Ty Lee" he scoffed.

"Too." Why Azula had chosen Chan, she didn't know, didn't care. "He's famous in the Fire Nation." Zuko frowned. "They have a horrible pop band and Azula likes to be the envy of the Nation."

"And you?"

"I hate pop." Zuko laughed. "And I'm not nice to him or even agreeable."

"Do you ever?" She snorted, that was rude of him. Zuko kissed her, she wanted to be angry with him but couldn't. "You're too pretty."

No she wasn't. She was too thin, she's an A cup, she had a long neck, no hips, bonny knees, her skin only had two tones: ghostly white and lobster skin. But she was happy to know that she was pretty for him.

"Were you practicing your song?" Rachmaninoff was a good selection against Liszt.

"No" He put his free hand in the piano. "Isn't a good selection for an oboist." He chose the Water Tribe girl as partner. "I was just frustrated."

Yes, because playing Rachmaninoff was distressing. Well, she liked to play Paganini out of tune to mess with her mother.

"But I like our selection, it makes us happy." _Us_. Mai bit her inner lip. "And you? Do you like your selection?" She shrugged. It wasn't her selection, it's Azula. "Do you like it at least?" He inquired once he noticed her.

"Will I be happy when I hear you?" She didn't wanted to discuss about the damn Concours. Zuko smiled then embraced her.

"I hope so." He said resting his chin in her shoulder. She put her hands over his. "My T-shirt looks better on you." She hadn't found her t-shirt when they spent the night together so she just used one of his. He liked this underground band. She kissed him in the cheek. "Uncle will come." Il Divo Iroh, she liked him. "I want to keep living with him." He should. And he was much better now that he was out of his father reach. "He offered to pay the college, but I don't want him to." Zuko's like a son to him. Even before the tragic accident of Lu Ten, Iroh had always loved Zuko. "I already live with him and I help in the teashop as much as I can." She went once to the Jasmine Dragon, it's a beautiful place. Zuko's a waiter and played the piano some nights. "I can't let him do it." Ba Sing Se was not a bad option for her either. "I want to pay my studies and if I get a scholarship, I think I could keep living with him, working and studying."

"Sounds great." Ba Sing Se had good pianists too, and it's considerate the second best option to study. The first was the Fire Nation University however, his father had a lot of influence there, besides some argued that it's the first just because Ozai had a lot of power.

"And you?"

"Northern Water Tribe" She answered without hesitation.

"How odd." It's, violinist usually wanted to go to Omashu, were once the Virtuous Kyoshi studied there.

"It's very far away from my parents" Zuko frowned and looked at her mesmerized. "I could consider Ba Sing Se."

"I'll love that." He replied getting his face closer to hers. Mai smirked, yeah both will love that. She should do it, she will love to spent her time in Iroh's tea shop, tasting all his new beverages and pastries, waiting for the moment he'll sang to them meanwhile Zuko played the piano.

Mai kissed him, he responded. This time both were enjoying the moment, no pressure, no pain, no regrets.

The bench vibrated, startling them. Mai's phone was ringing, she ignored it, probably it was Azula and she could very well go to hell. Zuko stopped when her mobile ringed for the second time. He lead her to answer with his eyes. Begrudgingly Mai picked her phone from her purse.

"Yes, Mother" she angrily spat. As usually her mother bereted her for her poor manners. "I'm practicing at school, Mother." Zuko cocked his brow. She never specified that she was practicing violin, so she wasn't lying. "Fine, Mother, have a good trip." She hung.

"Practicing?" Zuko grunted.

She put her hand in his chest and slowly lower it. "You can help me with my bowing technique." He followed her with his eyes. "You like when I start slowly, then with a spiccato tempo and finally a Sautillé." He squawked, blushing violently. He was good with his fingers but she did a good job with her hands too. She smirked and cocked one brow. "And you like-"

"I will not oppose to your fun." Especially when it involved giving pleasure to him. "But not here and Sokka and Aang will be in the apartment."

"Mother called me to tell me she will be out and will come back at the end of the week." He side glanced her and nodded. "We could take dinner before going. Unless you want to survive with peas and vegetables." She stood up and picked her handbag from the floor.

Her mother was very strict about the kind of food they could eat, no meat, low sugar, low salt, low fat and so on.

"If you lived with Sokka, you will appreciate healthy food." Zuko told her meanwhile he was closing the piano. "He only eats meat and junk food."

"Sounds delicious." Zuko laughed. When she was a kid, her mother didn't allowed her to eat anything that she considered unhealthy, it wasn't because she cared for her health, but because she wanted to make Mai the next prima ballerina of the Fire Nation Ballet, as once she almost was. And no ballerina was fat.

"I know a place you may like." He took his backpack "They only have meat with a lot of fat, fries and sodas of different flavours."

"I want fries!" Since they were kids, Zuko brought her different kind of junk food and candies.

Unhealthy food, sex and Zuko, her night sounded promising.

Both walked outside the practice room.

"You should meet, Sokka, he can show you around the most unhealthy food of any city and likes punk." She may like that boy. "And Aang can show you all the candy stores and pastries around." She didn't have a sweet tooth, but pastries was something she may be interested.

"Do you like to live with them?" They could never talk too much. Her mother had told her to never talk to him again, she even deleted his information from her phone herself. He knew about it, so he couldn't sent emails or even letters. She knew her mother and she was sure she checked her phone in time to time, so she didn't wanted to take the chance. She started to sent him pictures of what she was seen around and he answered with the same. She always deleted all the pictures at night. And mother thought she had a partner who helped her with her studies.

"It's fun" He answered. "And the girls are fun too." She hummed. "You should meet Suki, she's Sokka's girlfriend and likes folk metal too." Well, the girl had bad taste in men but good at music. She can handle that. "Toph too, I bet you and her have much in common." Go figures. "She comes from a rich family and was forced to play the harp, but she likes to play drums, she does even better than the harp."

"The blind girl?"

"Yes, she wants a scholarship to stay in Republic City and form a hard core metal band." She had heard her once or twice, she was bloody good. Azula thought her only decent opponent. "Trash metal is her favourite."

Mai liked metal but trash and hard core metal didn't.

"Katara is Sokka's sister and she's fun too, even if she has different taste in music" He added.

"Let me guess, pop." She looked the usual kind of sweet and lovely girl.

"No." He fretted "Well a bit, but she's more of the romantic type."

"Like you." Zuko liked mushy dramatic songs about love. He put that face when he felt offended "Without the dark and depressive air, I guess."

It's a war he was never going to win. Mai liked more gothic rock, punk, post punk, classic metal, folk metal, heavy metal, etc. than cold wave, dark wave, or even Zuko's favourite ethereal wave. Anyway he liked more rock styles than metal and everybody perceive more aggressive the second one.

"Speaks the goth girl." She smiled. Yes a lot of people thought of her as Goth and maybe she was, but not Zuko's mushy romantic level.

"There you're" Roun-Jin grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her to him. "You got your hormones in control, babe." Mai pushed him.

"Get lost!" He's such a jerk. She will never drank _that_ heavy in her life.

He flipped his hair. "It's just a joke and your panties are black so-" She shouldn't have liked the sound of his nose being broken. But she did.

"Zuko, don't!" She grabbed his arm. "Are you an idiot?" He was a frigging pianist! He shouldn't been punching anybody!

"He's the one insulting you!"

Mai rolled her eyes. Of course he could punch him, Mai wanted to do the same, but after the Concours when both didn't needed their hands that much.

"Insulting?!" Roun-Jin exclaimed with his hands in his face. How bad, Zuko didn't broke his nose "She's my girlfriend, freak!" What?! Zuko looked at her with surprise. "Of course, I've seen her panties!" Roun-Jin throw a punch at Zuko. And they started to fight. Or more like Zuko used Roun-Jin as punching bag.

"Enough!" Two teachers of the Republic City University, stopped both young men. "You should be ashamed of yourself."

"He attack me with no reason!" Roun-Jin cried.

"Is that true?" The teacher asked to Zuko.

"You should pardon my dear brother" Mai turned around, what did Azula was doing there? when did she arrived? "He's violent tendencies."

"He's your brother?" The teacher asked with surprise.

She used her hand to cover her left side. "Don't you notice the similarities?" She loved that stupid joke.

"We can't allow him this, he should behave according with the standards of the Concours."

"He hit me with no reason!" Roun-Jin protested again.

"He tends to do that" Azula stated. Mai looked at her with surprise.

"He'll be expelled" The teacher grabbed Zuko by his arm. "We'll take care from here."

"So much shame for our family." Azula pretended to feel sorry. While the teacher lead Zuko to the Offices.

NO!

Mai took a step, but Azula embraced her. Not allowing her to say anything meanwhile they took Zuko to the principal's office "Poor, Mai." Azula pat her in the head.

"I'll go with Roun-Jin" She heard Chan saying. She guessed the other teacher was taking Roun-Jin to the infirmary.

"Are you ok, Mai?" Ty Lee asked. "We looked for you and-"

"Why you did that?!" Mai pushed Azula with force.

"What a distasteful thing, fighting like a commoner." Azula commented nonchalantly. "He should know how to beha-"

"He's not getting in your way!" Zuko's participation had nothing to do with her, he wasn't even planning to win the stupid Concours.

"He'll come back to you as usual" Azula told her annoyed. "And Roun-Jin too, there is no difference."

"What the fuck is wrong with you?!" She knew Azula only cared for herself, but getting Zuko expelled from the Concours was cruel. Azula narrowed her eyes.

"Careful, dear." Azula warned her.

"I'll tell them the truth." Mai stated.

"Don't be dramatic, Mai." Azula patronized her. "That's my brother job" Mai snorted. "I honestly thought Zuko was getting you in trouble." No she didn't, but Mai didn't have proof to said the contrary. "We'll go and save his sorry ass, as usual" Oh, that's worst, because Azula always created problems for Zuko. "He'll be so glad you save him." Yeah, it's a terrible idea for Azula to interfere. "And he'll do whatever pleases you." It sounded so twisted and sinister coming from her.

"He didn't do anything wrong" Mai told her and went to the office's principal.

"Do you want mommy dearest to find out?" Was Azula treating her? "You and my brother won't do dirty things in the dark anymore." What was her problem? Did she was jealous or something? Her and Zuko relationship had never interfered with her.

She sighed.

"He didn't do anything wrong" she insisted before going to wherever they had taken Zuko.

Azula shouted but she didn't turn back.


	4. Family

**04\. **Family

He closed his fingers and opened them again. Katara touched his knuckles, he winced a bit. She put him ointment in the reddest parts.

"You should be more careful with your hands." She told him. He looked through the window. "Are you sure you didn't saw the face of the one who tried to mug you?"

"No, really" He lied. "I told you, it was dark."

"I can't believe nobody was near you to catch the bastard." She uttered angrily "Did you told the..."

"Yes, Katara, the University knows." They know the truth but they will not divulge it. Mai was right in that at least. The idiot had a large fanbase and it'd be bad press for the band. So the university agreed to keep quiet about the accident.

She sighed. "I shouldn't have left you."

Zuko got up. "It wasn't your fault." He felt uncomfortable with her kindness, "I shouldn't have walked in that part."

"Still I'm sorry" Katara insisted and he felt terrible, because he's lying.

"I'll be able to play the piano in a few days without problem" He reassured her.

"Are you the doctor now?" She crossed her arms and looked him. He denied with his head. He just didn't wanted her pity "Zuko." She came close to him and took his hand in hers. "You shouldn't worry too much about it." But her scholarship was important, if she didn't get it she had low possibilities of kept studying. There was no course for professional Oboist in the Southern Water Tribe.

"Katara, I want you to win." He told her. He was being honest, he wished for her to win the full scholarship. She deserve it, she was really good.

"Thank you." She smiled and cared his hands. "But it's more important for you to be ok."

"Oh, you shouldn't worry too much about me."

She put her hand in his face, the good side and he looked at her perplexed. "I worry a lot about you."

He blinked, feeling ridiculous because Katara was his friend and he thought, well he thought that she...

"Hey! The pizza's arrive" Sokka announced, startling them. Both jumped in opposite directions. He narrowed his eyes at both. "I won't save a single slice to anyone." Zuko breath, for an instant he thought Sokka could have seen something. But that would have implied that he and Katara. No.

"I have already finished." Katara commented closing the ointment. "I'll go in a minute." She throw the old bandages in the trashcan.

"I'm going, now" Zuko said starting to walk. "We already finished, right?"

"Yes" she confirmed.

"Good, because I don't want..." Sokka words started to get lost as he went back to the living room.

Zuko looked at him then turned back to Katara. She avoided his gaze.

"Thank you" He said and he didn't know why he said it. Well he was glad she took care of his hand.

"Zuko, I..." she observed him for a while "I really care about you."

"I know" He nodded "we're friends" He cowardly runaway to the kitchen while in panic.

This was not good, not good. Because it was ridiculous to think that she had different feelings for him. They were friends.

When he arrived to the sitting room the gang was eating pizza. Sokka and Suki were cuddling in one of the sofas, sharing different slides of pizza. Mai would never do something like that, she hated getting grease in her hands, she eat almost everything with cutlery, even fries.

Aang and Toph were waiting for him. Toph touched his hand, then she call him a cry baby. He laughed. Aang tried to cheer him up giving his cheese sticks. There's no need but he appreciated the thought. Toph took one without remorse. Aang and Zuko laughed. It's really good to be with them.

Katara arrived and he tensed a bit. However she acted normally, so he tried his best. With all the gang gathered, dinner became great. He liked to be with them, it's like having a normal life or as normal as young musicians could be. No one looked at him as if he was an oddity in the room, no one judged him because he hadn't watched the new cartoon or movie. Neither because he didn't new the rules of some popular game or another. He didn't have to behave in some way or another. He's free to be himself.

It'd been very different in the Fire Nation, were he did had to behave according with the etiquette all the time. Because they had some dinner at home or some gala or presentation to attend. Father never left his social life, not even after his mother had disappeared.

"I'm sure you will get better soon, so cheer up." Suki said sitting next to him.

"I know" He answered, smiling at Suki.

"Then you should relax." Zuko nodded. "The last days you have been very tense and sad. You still are." He blinked not understanding her. "What happened was not your fault."

"I..." He avoided Suki's eyes. He's living a lie, again.

Toph burped. "Well, that's it for today!"

"Eww, that's disgusting." Katara complained.

"But I feel much better!" Toph patted her belly. Sokka laughed. It'd been disgusting. "Anyway I must go now, and only the ladies stay." Katara rolled her eyes.

"I should go too." Suki announced, Sokka whined. "You want to come with us?" she asked to Katara.

"You should go with them." Aang told her, touching her arm. "Giving the latest news, you shouldn't walk alone."

Katara smiled at Aang "You're right. Thank you."

"I'll accompany them to the bus station." Aang suddenly said, standing up.

"Right, because you're a big and scary man." Toph mocked him.

"I'll go too." Suki said. "We can make a team." she smiled at Aang.

Sokka complained a bit more, before allowing them to go. Zuko started to clean the living room, all of them said goodbye to him. Sokka passed him the empty boxes of pizza.

"It's good, isn't?"

Sokka looked at him. "You didn't get it, right?" Zuko frowned. "They came to cheer you up."

"Toph came for the pizza." He blurted and Sokka rolled his eyes. "You shouldn't have done..."

"Dude, we're friends" Sokka replied exasperated.

Zuko stopped cleaning the table and looked at Sokka. "I'm..."

"Oh, stop!" He warned him. "Look it's not good to be mugged or almost mugged, but you shouldn't let it get you down."

Again, he diverted his eyes. He hated to lying to all of them and having all this attention for nothing. But telling them the truth was not an option. The principal had made them vow to not let anybody know about what really happened. He had argued that it wouldn't do good to any of the parts involved. Zuko thought the principal didn't wanted to deal with the press and with the large fanbase of the band in the Republic City, it'd be a disaster. Besides mentioning Zuko would bring his father's name.

"Sokka, look." He said even if he didn't know what explanation he could offer.

"Nah, save it." Sokka interrupted him. "I know it shocked you." He sighed and put a hand in his shoulder. "When you're ready, we could talk."

Great, simply great.

"Thank you" He looked at his feet and clenched his fist. This was not supposed to happen, they should be happy because they were close, they should be sneaking out in the hallways of the University, they should be having dates in the city. Zuko had thought that giving time, he could bring Mai and, and, and...

This was a mess. He sat in the sofa.

Sokka turned on the television.

"By the way," He called him. "I saw you and my sis."

He opened his eyes with surprise.

"She just..."

"Don't give me that shit, will you?" Sokka was all fun and jokes, but in regards of her sister, he's deadly serious. "I'm not saying you should keep away from her." Zuko blinked. "But even if you're my friend and you know I like you in a menly way." That sounded weirder than it should have been "But she is my sis" Zuko nodded, he didn't know if there's a correct answer at all. "And I know she has being making eyes at you."

WHAT?! That's ridiculous. "I think you're wrong."

"You're clueless as usual" No he wasn't, Katara may have insinuated some feelings when they were in his room, but otherwise it wasn't like that.

His relationship with Katara was complex. At first she had hated him because of the problems he created for Aang in the last couple of years, he had mocked her too, because she wasn't a good oboist and back then her technique wasn't that good. Then he became Aang's friend and she found why her mother career had been destroyed and he had help her as much as he could to get the truth. They have become allies against his father abusive way to treat musicians who opposed his ideology. Then they became friends.

"The point is, I'm not against it" he continued "However, I'll not let you cheat her." Zuko frowned, he and Katara had nothing. "Don't make me that face, you know to whom I'm referring." He avoided his gaze.

"She's not my girlfriend" He's not lying, she had never said he was her boyfriend. He just was _Zuko_.

"You have told me" Sokka answered with tiredness. "But she sent you nudes."

"That's not truth!" She had never done _that_.

"Oh, please Zuko!"

"She doesn't do that! That's tacky!" Her own words. He stood up and paced.

"She sent you pictures of herself." Sokka crossed his arms. Mai usually sent him photos of her shoulders, fingers, toes, knees, occasionally her waist and her tights. "And please don't tell me she doesn't do it!"

Sexy and erotic, sure but never explicit. "I told you, it's her shoulder."

"How can you be so sure?" Zuko opened his mouth to answer and then thought that it'd be worst. So he closed it. "Oh" Sokka understood. "And she's not your girlfriend?"

He avoided his gaze. No, they have never tell to each other what they were. Since they were children they had been together, he had always liked Mai, he once had grabbed her hand and she didn't pulled back. Then Mai had kissed him in the cheek when he was eight, he had kissed her back and then, well he and she just grew up and kissed and kissed. But no, they have never had talked about what they were.

"But you been sending photographs to her since... since I know you." Zuko closed his eyes, Mai had been a constant in his life. "I don't know who makes me get more oogines if you or Aang when you talk about mushy feelings." Mushy, Mai thought the same of him. And overly dramatic.

"It's none of your business."

"Hey! We're talking about my sister." Sokka protested.

"I didn't knew alright" Indeed, he didn't. Still he thought Sokka was exaggerating. "And you shouldn't worry about _her."_

She had sided with Azula to create a mess, as usual. He's been watched if he did create another "problem" he's going to be expelled. He must stay away from that idiot and avoid marring his father's name even more.

Sokka paced around, opened a cabinet and put in his hand a lipstick.

"Black doesn't suit you, lover boy." He told him angrily before going to his bedroom.

As usual Mai had left him with pieces of herself and troubles.


	5. Coming of Age

**05\. **Coming of age

The heat was intense and surely everybody was sweating but Sokka was been dramatic. In the Fire Nation this temperature was the one they had at the begging of the spring, so for him it was very agreeable. Nevertheless he helped them to put the umbrellas at the right angle, after all Sokka wanted to sleep under the shadow and Aang wanted a lot of bottles to drink while resting.

Suki patted him in the arm, she had helped with the cooler and the umbrellas. Finally both could rest.

"Did you see where did I put the batteries?" she asked him. He denied with his head. "I think I may have forgotten them."

"I could search a corner store and buy some." Suki was going to protest when Sokka called her.

"Come, Suki! Let's play."

"Is it safe for Toph?" He asked her. Toph was at Sokka's arm but if they were trying to play probably she was going to get in troubles.

"You know her" She shrugged. "I'll make sure she doesn't drink too much sea water."

Yes, Toph liked to do dangerous things, just to make a point. It's awesome, but sometimes plainly stupid.

He nodded, watching her walk to those two. He put more bottles of water in the cooler. Toph hadn't complained about the heat, but an annoyed Toph was no good.

"Thank you" Zuko smiled at Katara. "I should have been here to help."

"Nah, we will have died if you haven't go back for the food." In the rush of their sudden trip to the beach, they had forgotten the food. Katara and Aang decided to go back for it. "Just imagine your brother complaining about food."

Both laughed.

"We're finally ready!" Aang said from behind with enthusiasm. "Let's go to the water."

"Sure, just let me get ready and I'll go."

Katara still had her street clothes. Aang nodded.

"I'll prepare the food." Zuko excused himself. He came with them because they have insisted but he didn't feel in the mood for getting soaked under the sun and having sand everywhere.

Aang watched him, feeling his uneasiness. "We could go to-"

"I'll join you later, ok" Zuko said, he didn't wanted their attention. He didn't wanted more questions. He didn't wanted to think about _her._ "I just want to be sure Sokka will not have another panic attack or something."

Aang looked at Katara.

"You're right. We'll make sure everything is fine."

Aang nodded and went to the shore with the others.

"Stop, I'm fine, ok." He hated when everybody watched him and walked on egg shields around him.

Katara took a deep breath. "You shouldn't do things you don't like." She told him while taking off her street clothes.

He wanted to laugh. His whole life was exactly that. "I just don't want to get soaked." He lied and he didn't care. Katara like to talk about feelings but he hate it.

"We could play kuai ball latter." she suggested, leaving her sandals next to the extended towels.

It's a terrible suggestion. Azula made him play that, along with Ty Lee and Mai. "No." Katara frowned "I'm not a big fan of that game."

"Well we could..."

"I just want to sit and enjoy the view, ok?" He angrily sat under the umbrellas. He didn't wanted to be treated with kindness or having them doing things for him. Katara looked at him with sadness. "I'm sorry, I..."

"No, it's ok." Katara sat next to him. "If you don't want any of this, it's fine." She put her head in his shoulder. He hunched. "We could enjoy the view and all." He felt uncomfortable, he liked Katara, he really did but he didn't knew if in _that_ way. Besides he wasn't ready.

"The food" He said. "I promised Aang to get it ready" He stood up, searching for the bags that had the food.

"You don't have to prepare it" Katara stood up too.

"It's alright I will not get into the water anyway." He shrugged nervously. "You should go with the others." He started to open the bread and the Tupperware's with food to prepare the sandwiches.

Katara put her hand in his arm. He froze.

"I know you're not ready." He tensed, because it's not the right moment. "Sokka told me-" He turned around, what had Sokka told her? "Oh, Zuko!"

His belly and his short got drenched in tuna. Damn!

"I'm so sorry" Katara searched for the napkins.

"Leave it!" He stopped her hands before she reached him. She looked at him surprised. "I will clean it."

"Zuko, I..."

"Katara, there's nothing wrong with you, ok?" he reassured her. "It's just complicated for me right now."

She nodded. "That's what my brother told me." And he's right. "I'll clean this." she started to clean the table.

"I'll buy more cans of tuna" He said, the napkins were not going to clean the stench, he hated the stench.

He went looking for a bathroom to clean himself. He didn't wanted to spent the day with tuna in his belly. He found the bathrooms of a local store open, maybe later he will go looking for batteries for Suki's speakers and more cans of tuna.

He opened the tap and the water started to run. He cleaned his hands before cleaning himself, he looked at the stain in his shorts, there wasn't much he could do about it but he thought he could clean it the enough to not be notorious or stench. He started to clean his shorts when the light diminished. He frowned and raised his head.

Her arms were cold and so were her hands. He clenched his teeth and closed his eyes, he didn't not wanted to move. She pressed her face to his chest. He breath heavily. She was lucky the bathroom had been empty. This was a men's bathroom for fuck sake. She was totally nuts.

He lowered his head and found her tawny eyes looking at him. She hadn't been sleeping well, there were dark circles bellow them. Good, he hadn't been doing well either.

"I'm sorry." He didn't wanted to hear her apologies.

He grabbed her by her arms and softly pushed her.

"I don't want to talk." He still was hurt and angry.

"Whatever he said, I never had a relationship with him." She stood firm.

"Did you had sex with him?" She sighed, he denied with his head. Oh she goes playing around with that idiot for everybody to see and had sex with him and he should be happy and believe whatever nonsense.

"It's just once." Because that makes him feels better. "We had fought and I was drunk and it was stupid, ok?"

"Great" He grunted. "Bloody great, Mai."

"Please, tell me you did a celibate vow in all these years." He wanted to tell her he was a better person than her, problem was he couldn't.

"I don't go around with any of them." They're that, one night standing and just twice or thrice. And never when they were together in their _together way_. "And you and him walk around like... I don't care, I'm out Mai!" He tried to get out, she pushed him by the shoulders.

"Don't be an hypocrite!" she bickered. "I told you Azula likes to play with Chan."

"And you play along all too well, Mai?" Fine, she did it because she was angry with him, because as usual it's Zuko's fault. But did she really had to walk hand by hand with him, and let herself be hugged. "It's better to have a nice, handsome and popular boyfriend." Instead of a disfigured, freak and problematic boyfriend. "One you could show to mom?"

"How can you said that?!" she shout. "I have never cared about those things!"

"But you don't go out with me." They hadn't had a proper date in years. "We fuck and you go walking with that handsome boyfriend of yours."

"He's not my boyfriend!" Mai stomped her feet. "And we don't go walking... Were you spying on me?"

"I don't have to! You and him show all over the campus."

Mai cocked a brow. "And what about you, uhm?" she accused him. "You go around with that Water Tribe girl doing puppy eyes."

"She's my partner." Ok, maybe she wasn't the only one with issues.

"Oh please!" Mai scoffed. "I know you! Yes I have to deal with Roun-Jian, he just grab my hand and such. But please, tell me she doesn't flirt with you and you don't feel anything."

"Don't try to justify what you did!"

"You fucked other girls and I'm not giving you shit about it!"

He grunted. "You even care?" Mai stared at him.

"What does that even mean?!" she shouted.

"Katara at least cares about me and my mushy feelings " Mai gasped "I'm not her sex toy."

"Oh is that what you want? Grab hands and walk into the distance while a sobbing song sounds in the background?" As usual she was mocking him. He loved her, he had always done so, not for her body but for her. "Staring at her eyes while cupids fly around? Are you going to lie to her about a bed of white linens, roses and candle lights?"

"Better than be mocked and ignored."

Mai snorted and pushed him against the wall of the bathroom. "Please, stop lying to yourself." No he didn't. He did wanted a relationship, not sex, but her fingers knew him very well, she knew exactly were to touch him, when to touch him and what kind of pressure to apply to subdue him. He wanted to push her aside, to tell her how much he needed to know her feelings but he's moaning against the wall. He's defenceless against her. She had him in her firm grip and she could make him do whatever she wanted.

The worst was he liked it.

"Mai" he gasped. She looked at him, she was angry. He tried to talk but a moan escaped his mouth. He tried to put a hand in her shoulder but she started to get down. Someone knocked at the door with strength.

Bathroom. Public.

He was looking at the ceiling, not been able to control himself. Getting more and more excited with the sound of Mai's mouth taking him.

Knock. Stop. Mai.

Knock. Crazy Mai.

Knock. Sexy Mai.

His Mai.

Knock.

MAI!

When his consciousness came back they were leaned on the wall, he was trying to control his breath and regain his senses. Mai was half resting in his chest. He had his hands in her low back. They stayed like that for a while, then Mai stood up. She's a mess, her hair was untidy, her top and part of her belly was stained with himself, and it was evident what she had been doing with her mouth. She caught him staring at her and she smirked.

He hated that damn look of _I know you_. Because she didn't. She was not giving herself to him.

Mai opened the tap, he closed it.

He broke it.

"Zuko!" Oh please, she fucking masturbated him in a public bathroom and gets angry because she can't clean herself? "I have to go back..."

"Yes, why don't you go back and grab his hand with myself. Maybe that would make you more tolerable-" she slapped him.

He grabbed her from behind, getting his hand under the top and he introduced his fingers in the low part of the swimwear, toying with her entrance. She knew him, but so did he. His fingers were already wet, she was almost ready, he could feel her growing. He was far from been ready, it's too soon. Oh but she wanted him, she loved to fuck his fingers, she had never been shy about it. He went to her core. She closed her eyes and opened to him.

He kissed her nape and neck, even if her hair got in the way. She smelled of sweat and sand. She tried to kiss him, but he was in no mood to please her. He felt her shiver and took his fingers out, without getting out of her swimwear. She opened her eyes, irritated. He kissed her ear and bit her. She was going to protest when he slide his fingers again. And he repeated the cycle, several times.

She caught his game quickly, she didn't liked to be sexually frustrated. But she couldn't do anything. He's enjoying this position a lot. She finally fought him to get out of his grip when he penetrated her. She shout. Yes he liked it, this is exactly as should be, her ass in his pelvis, his hands in her tits, she at his control.

He opened his eyes, the mirror reflected his marred side along her beauty face. The contrast between his angered eyes and her surprised eyes was streaking. The truth about Mai's, she liked dirty things.

Mai ended leaned on the sink, he wanted to do the same but that was going to thrown them into the floor. He opted for lean on the wall of the bathroom. Both were a mess. Someone knocked the door, again. This time he didn't even flinched. Sooner or later they were going to get bored.

Slowly Mai stood up. She looked quite dishevelled. She readjusted her top but his marks were visible, as if she had an accident with a drink.

"It's not funny." She tried to brush her hair with her fingers and cover the love bites with it. He didn't answer just observed her. "What will she said when you push her in the wall and do it?"

He stopped smirking. "Don't have to." Mai frowned. "I have you." Mai froze. She picked the wrong topic to mess with. "You have your nice... whatever it's, I'll have someone who will take care of my mushy feelings."

"How dare you!" she screamed, he had hurt her. "You don't love her!"

"I do!" He replied without thinking. "But who loves you, Mai?" She gasped. "Your mother even cares about you?"

He broke her.

She ran away from him. Zuko broke the mirror and tried to broke the sink.


	6. Beautiful

**06.** Beautiful

Someone knocked the door, she didn't move, someone opened the door, she pretended to be sleep. She waited with the eyes closed, they were going to get bored and go. Everybody leaves. The door closed. She sighed and went back to sleep.

She woke up later when most of her sheets were pulled and the window of the room she was using was completely open.

"It's past noon, Mai!"

"I'm tired, aunt" She replied getting away from the sun and covering her face with her arms.

"Of what, Mai?" Life, life was extremely taxing. "You been in this room for days." She could stay a few more.

"You told me I could stay." She had say it, no lies.

"Yes you can but you haven't even bath for days."

She may smell a bit. "Fine I'll take a shower tomorrow."

Her aunt sighed audible. "Today, Mai and I'm expecting you down in twenty minutes" She grunted "I told you could stay, but nor for free."

She sat in the bed. "I don't have money, aunt." Her mother had throw her out.

"I know" Her aunt sat next to her and petted her greasy hair. "But you can work in my flower shop at least."

She didn't want to deal with people. She smelled. "I'm not a good seller or speaking."

Her aunt grabbed her hands and smiled. "But you could learn." How was she suppose to say, no. "Twenty minutes, Mai."

She grunted, however she went to the shower and went down as soon as possible. Her aunt was with one of her sellers, both were discussing around a vase.

"What do you think, niece?"

A bouquet of flowers were in the vase. "They look nice."

"So it's horrible." The seller gasped. "I'm not that surprised."

"I say it was nice."

"You are been polite." Indeed she was.

"But it's beautiful" The seller objected. "Have you been gifted with a better bouquet of lava roses?"

Mai shrugged. She was used to receive a bouquet of lava roses, the gift to the losers in the competitions, she hated them. "I don't like them."

The seller nodded. "What flower your boyfriend had give you?"

None. Zuko had never gifted her a single flower.

"I don't have a boyfriend."

She hated the pitiful eyes the seller gave her.

"Now, Mai." Her aunt intervened. "We're trying to take a good photo for our new bouquets. To promote them in the social network."

"It'll look nice."

"You're good with photos, why don't you help me with this." She was going to denied with her head, she was the less appropriate person to take a picture for this. "I don't want to make it only about a couple, help me to find another perspective."

The flower arrangement was nice. She nodded.

"And clean the shop after meal and after we close." Her aunt ordered her.

Mai went to the storeroom and grabbed the broom, she supposed it wasn't going to be very difficult to learn.

Her aunt was the successful owner of several flower shops in three nations. The Fire Nation, Republic City and the Earth Kingdome. She had started the first flower shop just for fun but then after doing great in the first shop, she decided to try for another one until she expanded her enterprise. She was happy for her aunt, in the begging the family hadn't believe in it. A lot of people had told her to waste the rest of her life doing charity or whatever the rich widowers with no children did, but her aunt had wanted to do something she liked.

Mai didn't care for flowers at all, but she wanted to be like her aunt and have the means to do what she liked.

After cleaning the shop she looked at the vase, she didn't know about the new concept, she tried several shots in different positions, she spend most of her time trying to find a good idea with no avail. She cleaned again when the shop closed and tried again with the new bouquets.

Her aunt was preparing the dinner and she was trying to take a shoot of a vase, the sunset was beautiful and the white and magenta flowers looked more vivid, she was arranging the table when she saw the gazette. Mai tried to avoid it, but he was in the photograph. She unfold it, her hands trembled.

The gazette of the campus announced that there was a major change in the couples of the Concours, not only Azula had replaced her with Ty Lee, the Air Nation's monk was now partnered with the Water Tribe's girl, and Zuko was without a partner, some speculated that he's going to participate with the other Earth Kingdome's girl. Mai sat with the paper in her hands, barely a month before the Concours, it's going to be impossible for him to perform accordingly. He had never performed with that girl, she was sure about it. And what if he still didn't had a partner. It didn't matter why the couple had broke, if you don't have a partner, you can't perform.

Didn't he told her that the Earth girl was that Water Tribe boy's girlfriend? And wasn't he that Water girl's brother? In the paper said that probably he's going to play with her, but what if... what if she didn't play with him?

"Mai, dinner is served" Her aunt announced.

"I need to go out." She told her leaving the camera.

Of course her aunt didn't let her go out that night but she did it in the morning. She bit her nails all the way and marauder over the campus for about two or three hours, before getting in. He had not been sleeping well, the black circles behind his eyes were a clear indicator, his clothes were too wrinkled, probably he had sleep with that t-shirt for a few days. He wasn't happy to see her, but before he could said something, she said "I'll play with you". He knew he didn't had another option, either he played with her or not play at all.

•

Mai played with her high heels while watching the score again, she knew the song from memory and she still did mistakes, which was stupid because she used to play this song with him. And maybe that was the reason because usually they did it for fun, to kill the time while she waited for Azula or while he waited for another lesson with his father. It's not a piece for a piano, that's why he relaxed with this song, and maybe it's risky but it's the best option they could chose. Maybe they did a stupid choice, maybe they should have chose something different like Nocture by Chopin or made an unusual choice like Wagner, heck she should have indulge him with Rachmaninoff. This was for him anyway, she didn't have a chance, even if some University gave her an scholarship, she didn't have money anymore.

"It's your turn." The woman told them, Zuko took off his headphones and stopped replaying the song.

She went ahead, she didn't want any awkward moments. She could hear the people cheering up and applauding. She found the Water Tribe girl and the Air Nomad boy in the hallway, they were very happy and smiling at each other, they were nervous but giving comfort to each other. Unexpectedly the girl hugged the boy, her gratitude and happiness cold be felt. She had a beautiful smile and bright eyes, it's very obvious why Zuko felt attracted to her. She was gorgeous with those lovely chocolate locks, big baby blue kind eyes, nice curves and a sweet personality to match.

Zuko got behind her. "Mai" she turned around "I..." He looked at the Water Tribe girl who was coming their way, and he stopped breathing, he was uncomfortable. Mai walked to the entrance of the stage. She closed her eyes as the other couple crossed her way.

They got announced and Mai got into the stage, she prepared her violin. Zuko walked to the piano, she turned around her head and connected with him. He gently nodded.

He started to play and Mai followed him, she could do it, the song was not extremely difficult. They were performing a piece of Brahms, one of the most famous compositors of the romantic period. This piece was a declaration of love, a love that never was going to be returned or maybe it's but Clara Schumann was never going to act upon it. The ghost of her husband, Robert Schumann hanged in between.

Very dramatic, very Zuko. They should sound sweet, delicate, lovely. But they didn't. Zuko hit the keys with too much force sometimes, as if he was give into the despair Brahms felt, she tried to be the soft one, the accompaniment. She always thought he was stupid for fall in love with the wife of a men Brahms respected. Zuko believed their love was pure, even if misplaced.

She did a mistake and Zuko followed her. She side glanced him, his eyes were calm. He slightly nodded. She breath profoundly and continue, she shouldn't do another mistake he needed the scholarship. She was just here because of him, he was suppose to be the star.

She wasn't even sure of continue playing.

She breath profoundly, trying to commit to the song, she shouldn't drift anymore. This part was the happy one in the melancholic song. Zuko got very enthusiastic in his part, she slightly turned to him, he smiled. Like in the old times when both were just playing. She closed her eyes and allowed him to direct the intensity of the song.

It started like this, just playing, making fun of Azula's seriousness. Interpreting the song to their mood, not following the music sheets to perfection. He was always too nervous, too concern with his father, he preferred take care of animals, read fairytales to his mother, walk hand by hand with her in the garden. She found the classic music extremely dull. She hated it, she wanted to laugh, to run, to roll in the mud. She let herself fall into the melancholic mood of the song. None of them got what they wanted. She hated it.

Her violin sounded unusually high, she hated being controlled, she hated having to practice instead of playing, she hated see him hate himself because he didn't played as Ozai wanted. She did a mistake, she changed a bit the tempo but Zuko followed her.

She turned around while playing, he made a mistake for the change of the tempo. She did the same, perhaps they could make it seem as a variation. He looked at her and she twitched her lips. He kept his hands in the air, as if he was giving the silence more time. Mai waited for him, oh no he was doing a mistake. She played again to encourage him, he continue a bit slow. Did he thought she was making a change again? She should slow down then.

He tried to follow up her previous rhythm. Mai got confused, she did a mistake and he tried to arrange it. Why he always tried to save her? She was not afraid of been exposed, her whole life was being what others didn't wanted. The girl who never smiles, the girl who doesn't wear pink, the girl who dislike romance movies, the girl who doesn't believe in happy ever after. She tried to making him go back to the way this piece was suppose to be played. As usual he didn't. They were going to sound uncoordinated if both tried to play at different rhythms.

She made a mistake and tried to arrange it, trying to go faster. Zuko tried to do the same, they were playing this song absolutely wrong. He made another variation to accompany her. He smiled at her, he knew, he knew there's no turning back and made it evident. Who cared anyway? She followed him with all her might. If they were going to do it in the worst way, at least they could have a lot of fun.

He played it much more relaxed, allowing his fingers run along the piano, still hitting the keys with force sometimes, but the song didn't sounded so melancholic. She did the same, allowing the notes to flow, yes, she knew the song but it's too theatrical for her, too naïve. She preferred something real even if Zuko didn't gave her flowers in all her birthdays or composed her a romantic love song.

Piano and violin had the same intensity, both were playing at their max, for a moment she got scare because maybe she couldn't follow him, however seeing his arms tense and relax as he played, she noted how easily it was for her. She knew him, she had grew up with him, she had learn a lot of things with him, how to swim, how to made a sandwich, how to call a cabifyre, how to kiss, how to make love.

He looked at her. The end was near and both knew it was going to be explosive, intense with a very sharp tune, because that's how they were when together.

She turned to face the audience and for the first time in her life, Mai felt how her hearth was the one playing the violin.

The applause of the audience was so strong that for a moment she thought she was dreaming, or reliving some competition with Azula. But no, the cheering was different it's happy, it's bright, it's exuberant.

Zuko embraced her and she let the tears come down. How she have missing his arms, his scent, all himself.

She cleaned her tears in his coat and waited for the applauses to finish. She barely faced the public again, what horrible she should look with the makeup smeared.

In the backstage the other participants looked at them with certain concern. She hurry back to where her things were, she thought perhaps Ty Lee was going to call her but she kept at her place beside Azula. She had a unusual face, however she decided not to care, besides she wasn't even paying attention to her.

Mai took off her high heels and waited for Zuko to enter. They haven't talk in the last month, they just decided the song and then practice for the most part alone, when together they focused. Both knew they had few time to barely make it. Perhaps now they could talk. What he had said hurt her, but he was right about her mother and she did wrong in confront him in that way. She shouldn't have played with his body, either. Zuko was taking a lot of time to go to the room. She peaked outside.

Zuko was being embraced by the Water Tribe girl, both Earth Kingdome girls, the Air Monk and the Water Tribe boy. She felt the tears in her eyes.

It's fine, she was going to be fine. She looked for her purse.

Zuko stood in the light with his friends, she ran into the dark.


	7. Reckless

**07.** Reckless

"I thought he wasn't going to leave the store, ever." He complained rolling his eyes.

"What a difficult decision" she said drily "Lettuce or arugula."

"Hey! It's the final decision for his master piece." He feinted offense. Both laughed.

"I hate the customers that don't know what they want." She concurred "Picky ones, well at least you know what they want even if you don't have it, but those who don't know, they're a pain." He nodded.

"Anyway, I didn't have anything interesting to do for the next hour, so I waited."

"How dreadful." He watched her with carefulness, Mai didn't know why, she had been rude? "I mean, not having better to do." He blushed feeling embarrassed. "How terrible our lives are, I just watch plants and you, vegetables." She tried to smile, she was not criticizing him.

Her life was incredible boring right now. Her aunt had received an invitation to buy a flower shop at the east side of Full Moon bay, at first it didn't seem a good inversion because the town was little and most of the people could just pick any flower from the fields. There were thousands of different flowers out there and Mai had no idea how the flower shop even survived, but along the flower shop the owner was offering fields. Mai was thinking that her aunt was thinking about the fields and not the flower shop.

Anyway, her aunt thought it'll do good for Mai to go to the countryside for a while and since she didn't have anything more to do, she went. So far, the town was boring, but it'd been a nice experience. She worked in the shop and could live in the house built in the fields, the owner, Mrs. Kayama, was too old to live alone, so she was living with one of his sons and spent most of her time teaching Mai hanakotoba meanwhile both attend the flower shop.

"About that" He opened the door of the fence for her. "To mark the end of the summer we do have a festival" she cocked a brow.

"There's blood and sacrifices?"

He laughed. "No, the girls put flowers in their heads." How boring and normal and saccharine.

"The boys bath in fertilizer?" He blinked, she shouldn't have said that, probably he thought of her like the normal city girl who thought that the people of the countryside were uncouth. "It's just a stupid joke, forget it."

"I know, is just… it's odd" Mai side glanced to the door, there was a bag in the door, a bag that it had not being there before. "You don't have to put flowers if you don't want."

"And brake the traditions? What if I insult the god of the flowers and bees?" He frowned but laughed.

"Giving your line of work, that could be problematic." She smiled. "But I was thinking that if you would like to go…"

Oh! She didn't expect that. She liked Kei Lo. It's nice to be with him, he was funny, sweet and nice. However, she wasn't ready, and she wasn't going to be in while. She opened her mouth to answer.

"She can't!"

She froze. No, it couldn't be, she had told no one about this trip, not even a pip at Ty Lee.

"Who're you?!" Kei Lo shout and tried to put her behind him.

"Who the fuck _ARE_ you?" And she was dragged by the waist.

"What happened to your hands?" she asked, grabbing Zuko's hands.

He stopped his macho man act and watched her. "I had an accident a few days ago."

"You know him?!" Kei Lo inquired.

"Her whole life" Zuko grumbled.

Mai rolled her eyes. "Zuko behave!" she ordered him. "Thanks for bring me here, Kei Lo." She wasn't going to indulge them in their stupid acts. "And help me today." She smiled, and he did the same. She felt bad because she really wasn't ready for anything more than friendship or companionship or whatever these days spent time with someone without romantic feelings was called "See you tomorrow."

"Are you sure?" He gave an evil eye to Zuko who was more than ready to fight.

She sighed and watched the ceiling. "He barks a lot but it's inoffensive." Zuko groaned.

Mai opened the door to allow Zuko the entrance. Begrudgingly he did it and for a moment she thought he was going to say something stupid to Kei Lo. But he only picked up his bag and got inside. Kei Lo looked at her with worry, she knew the impression Zuko made in the people. The bad temper, the atrocious manners, the scar.

"Think nothing." She told him, and he cocked a brow. "He is just…" She struggled. "I guess it's complicated."

"I can come later if you wish." He valiantly said. How cute.

"Don't be ridiculous!" She dismissed it immediately. "He's a pianist, a nerd and a dork." She enlisted "He barely has contact with people, that's why he behaves like a child."

"I'm hearing you!" Zuko shout from the inside.

She shrugged. "See you tomorrow." She closed the door before Kei Lo could said something else. Mai breathed and turned around. Zuko was not happy, as usual. "You didn't have to do any of that."

"Were you going to say yes?" Of course not, but how highhanded of him.

"That's none of your business." She fumed. Zuko rolled his eyes. "What're you doing here, anyway?!"

"Looking for you." He answered groggily. "You shouldn't have run away."

"I didn't!" She didn't run away, her aunt sent her to vacation and she didn't have the opportunity to tell anybody.

He coked his brow. "You vanished from the Concours!" He whined, Mai looked at the floor, he had been so cozy with his friends. "And you didn't answer the phone, not even to Ty Lee! She's very worried about you." Well, she may feel bad about it, but just a bit, besides she lost her phone when she leaved her parents house. Ty Lee could have talk to her aunt's house anytime, but she decided to side with Azula, as usual. "Even she didn't know that you weren't at your parents' house anymore!"

Mai averted her eyes to the window. "She knows what happened, she's no ignorant." She shrugged. "She knows my aunt's address and phone anyway."

"No she didn't!" He insisted "You fought with my sister and in her rage, she told your mother about us, I know." Zuko said felling guilty.

"Don't believe yourself to be so important." She cut him. "Your sister is a bitch and you were just one in the list" Her mother did have a long list of a grievances against her too.

"I know" He sighed. "She's in the hospital." Mai frowned. "She collapsed before she could finish her piece, turn out dad is great screw up his children." She opened her eyes with surprise.

"What happened?" She sat in the sofa and Zuko did the same in front of her.

"Well after we finished our piece and you ran away" Mai rolled her eyes but didn't comment "Toph and Sokka played a heavy metal song." That's stupid! She's one of the best candidates, she should have played and won. "It's bloody good! really awesome, then Katara and Aang played some love song and Jet did the same, well he played some rock song."

"Why?" Mai blinked not understanding the situation.

Zuko smiled at her. "Toph thought we were making some kind of protest, Sokka was just bored of everything, Katara and Aang felt so moved by our song that they wanted to keep the warm and Jet was so sick of his own song that he just wanted to have fun." The jury must have felt terrible, instead of hearing the best musicians, they were dealing with stupid punks. "But with Azula, she just couldn't finish her song, dad's in the front round." He touched his scar. "I know the feeling" he grimaced. "Ty Lee told me that after your fight, she did said things to Azula too but decided to stay as the last favor. And when Azula saw us playing, heard the applause of the people, saw my friends forgiving me and with the other teams playing for fun, she just… I guess she just felt apart."

"I don't believe it." It sounded unrealistic.

"I took her to the hospital" Mai opened her mouth. "Dad leaved the Concours, his daughter collapsed but he just leaved. Uncle and I took Azula to the hospital until they stabilized her."

"How is she?" She didn't hate her that much. She wished Azula realized the pain she inflicts in other people and have some retribution, but "I hate you to death or I want you to spend the rest of your life in a hospital" wasn't her wish.

He shrugged. "She doesn't want to see me right now, neither uncle but Ty Lee speaks with her and it's slowly recovering. She's in a mental institution, a nice one."

"Wow" Or maybe not, when Zuko collapsed in his fated Concours, he spent some months in a mental institution too. A horrible one.

"We don't know when she can get out. Father had never visited Azula, he doesn't even want to pay her treatment." That's shitty, she could even say she was lucky. "I sued my father."

"You should have done it years ago." She hated Ozai, to the point of wishing his death. She could even kill him.

"I did it in Azula's name. I don't want his money, but I can't pay for her treatment." He crossed his arms. "Uncle is helping but she will need a place to live when she gets out too."

Living with fuddy duddy uncle was not something Azula would like, Mai wasn't sure that's a good idea either. Iroh's nice, but he never had been fond of Azula. But beggars can't be choosers.

Both were silent for a while.

"What happened with your parents?" he asked. "And with my sister?"

She hadn't talk about it with anybody and she wasn't sure she wanted to talk with Zuko. He's going to understand the situation, but there're things she didn't want to talk with him. She got up from the sofa and walked to the window. "What did Ty Lee tell you?"

Zuko observed her. "You finally expressed yourself." She waited for him to go on. "In a very passionate way." That's a nice way to put it, she gave a piece or her mind to Azula. "She's sorry too. You're so indifferent to everything that she honestly thought you didn't mind spent time with that boy bad." Mai grimaced. "All of you were just playing with them."

Mai sighed. "Do you know your sister wanted me to fuck Ruo Lan?!"

"Ty Lee told me" He answered with amazing calmness. "Azula only wanted to make peace with them, she said stupid things but she thought you didn't care" Mai snorted "She knows you have been with other boys besides me." He observed the ceiling, she blushed. "So she thought you wouldn't mind one more time."

"I was drunk! You dump me! And I did a stupid mistake" Azula always have thought of her as a whore and she didn't know why.

"Azula didn't know" He answered with calmness. "They didn't know we had our failings, in their mind we're always together."

Mai violently blushed. That resolved the mystery. "I wouldn't have!"

"I know." He dismissed the topic. "Turn out, it's Azula way to punish you for cheating."

Oh, Azula cared for Zuko? "I don't believe it."

"Azula told me." Mai sat in the sofa flabbergasted "I told her it was stupid and unfair. She shouldn't have teased you." It's not the only a grievance but it made sense now. "She's sorry for all, she asked me to tell you."

"My parents throw me out, so not accepted." Mai stated firmly, Azula was out of her mind if she thought that saying sorry was enough.

"How was that? She told me you got angry because she asked you to make amends with the boy band, you exploded out of the blue, call her many things and decided to not participate in the Concours as a revenge, or she thought that."

Azula started to make demands from her, as usual. Bitching about her dull way of playing or making mistakes, she ordered her to have a grip of her hormones or whatever, to fix things with Ruon Jian for some upcoming event in the Fire Nation that it's very famous. And when Azula told her: go and fuck him or whatever, Mai just couldn't handle it.

"I's tired" She didn't do it for revenge, she had had enough. "I just wanted peace and she had Ty Lee. I knew she was going to made me pay but…"

"She didn't know your mother throw you out."

Mai buffed. "What reaction did she expected anyway?" Zuko shrugged. "She thrown me out in the night in pajamas and slippers." She was lucky to have had slippers.

"What?!" He was surprised. "Why?!"

"Azula called my mom she told her that I was taking revenge on her, I was trying to ruin her career and in retribution she was going to tell her father why she was going to lose the Concours. I guess they talked about Ruon Jian and the fight you had with him too and about us." In general, that happened, she didn't want to think about it anymore. "So, don't feel bad, you're just one in the list." She looked at the window. "I'm the problem."

"She's wrong" He hugged her. "She's absolutely wrong."

She knew he was right, still it stings your own mother kick you out the house.

"Is not that bad" She pushed him "I'm broke, and I don't have a job, but I help my aunt as much as I can."

Zuko smiled. "I think I'm familiar with that."

Mai smiled too. "Right."

Both keep silent again.

"It's good, isn´t?" He spoke watching his hands. "You don't have anything but…"

"You're free." She finished, he nodded. Nobody telling her what to do, how to act, what she should said, how she should dress. "I don't like fries that much anymore." Zuko frowned. "I binged for a whole week." He laughed. "My stomach ached, and I didn't like to go to the bathroom." Both guffawed for a while.

Mai grabbed her stomach, her eyes locked at Zuko's. She stopped laughing. "What happened to your eye?" She tried to touch him. Zuko shrugged. "Is that... Zuko you have dried blood!"

"Really?" He sounded unimpressive. "I don't feel it."

"Zuko!" He couldn't felt anything near his eye, so it's very important for him to be very careful, because if he had an infection or an injury he wasn't been able to feel it. "You know you have to keep it very clean!" She ran to the kitchen an picked a towel and water.

"You shouldn't worry" He had always been so careless about himself. "I cleaned myself with water." he tried to stop her from cleaning his eyes.

"What happened with..." she looked at his knuckles "You fought?"

He sighed. "Someone wanted the chair were I was sleeping while I waited for the buss to bring me here." She keep cleaning where it's suppose to be his brow. It didn't seemed to have an infection, but she wasn't sure. Zuko sometimes had a terrible luck. "It's comfortable." Sometimes he created a mess for himself.

"Why will someone do that? We're not that far from Ba Sing Se"

"I didn't came from Ba Sing Se, but from Full Moon bay." Mai frowned, actually her aunt was in Republic City He traveled by land? "It's a long road." Indeed "Don't worry about it" He cared her cheek.

"Why you didn't came directly from Ba Sing Se.?"

"Your aunt isn't in Ba Sing Se." After the Concours they're not allowed to stay in the City, not free at least. And with all the expenses he had to cover for Azula.

"How was that you found were I was?"

"I grovel on the floor until your aunt told me." He shrugged off. "It took me almost a month, so don't be mad at her."

"You did what?!" She could picture him doing it and her aunt being very embarrassed. She leaved the towel next to her.

"I talked to her first, then I begged, then…"

"Ok, I got it!" She stopped him. She knew how intense he was when he wanted something. "You shouldn't have done it."

He looked at her and she avoided him. "I deserve it." Mai closed her eyes. "I wanted to see you and she was the only one who knew where you were." She sighed, Zuko grabbed her hands, she wanted to pull it. She couldn't.

"Well, I'm fine, you..." Mai's head bumped into his chest, he hugged her so hard that he was hurting her. "Stop! Stop!" She pushed him.

"I'm sorry, Mai. I'm so sorry." Both were struggling, she for getting free, he didn't want to let her go. "I's and idiot! I'm an idiot!"

"You're hurting me!" She screamed and Zuko finally released her. Mai wandered in the sitting room, Zuko followed her but she stopped him with her hands. She sat in the sofa, he did it too. "I need space."

"I won't go anywhere." Mai groaned.

"Isn't fair!" It wasn't, what right did he had to come here and impose himself?

"You're having fun" He protested.

"Don't you dare!" She finally shouted and stood up "You've no idea! You've no right!" She punched him in the chest once, then twice, he opened his eyes with surprise, but he did nothing to stop her. She kept doing it, until the tears didn't let her see anymore.

How hateful, she wanted to avoid a scene like this. She hated him, she truly hated him. He wanted to shed her tears, she didn't let him. "What're you doing here?" Despite the bad things he encounter in his road, she wanted to kick him out.

"Isn't obvious" He grabbed her hands. He could check that of his list and go "and… I'm doing it wrong, right?" Totally.

"I'm fine, you can get out now" She felt like kicking a puppy. She always wanted to kick a puppy. But of course Zuko didn't leave, he liked to be the kicked puppy. He looked at her and Mai avoided him.

"I'm sorry" Mai clenched her teeth. "I'm an idiot, I said and did horrible things to you" He tried to care her cheek, she gave a step back. "I's being a jerk, I's jealous, I…"

"You're" She stopped him. His eyes softened, and Mai hated him. He's supposed to felt offended or be angry with her. "But you always have been like that."

Zuko frowned, she waited for his angry reply. "I'm sorry." He was fighting with himself. "I love you."

He's joking, Mai punched him. "You don't" She raised her hand and he waited patiently for her next punch.

"I do and you can hit me again, I deserve it."

And now there's no satisfaction in doing it, he loved to be the kicked puppy.

"Get out!" she shouted in rage. "Now, get out!"

"No" She tried to kick him in his sheens, he gave a step back "I'll never go."

"You told me I could kick you!" She bellowed, he rolled his eyes. "You don't keep your word." She's behaving like a spoiled brat, she knew, she didn't care. She tried to kick him again.

"Fine! You can kick me, but you forgave me afterwards." Ja! In his dreams.

"I'm not your nice girly girlfriend!" He looked surprised, then he was in pain because Mai kicked him in the left sheen. Now she could kick him out of the house, it'll feel better than kicking a puppy. Except he thrown himself onto her, he kicked her in the chin with his head and both fell painfully in the sofa.

"You always have to complicate things" he complained rubbing his head with his hands.

"No… bre…" He was crushing her, he got up and she recovered the air. She breath and rubbed her chin, she opened and closed her mouth several times. She sat properly, Zuko was observing her with a smug smile in his face.

"I haven't forgiven you." She insisted.

"I know." He still had that stupid smile. She groaned. "You got jealous." She frowned. "I don't like her" He said. "Not in that way. She… help me to understand my mother and my father destroyed her mother's career."

"I don't care!" she stubbornly stated.

"She did like me" He seemed happy for that, Mai didn't like that at all. "Then I told her who I was and behave like an asshole." She could relate. "After we finished that day." Mai looked down, she wasn't very proud of herself. "I went back to them, they we're worried, I was not in my best mood obviously I told them to back off, but they're nice people, they insisted I got angry, took my things and leave. She followed me. I told her to leave me alone, but she said that I should open to the people, let me be helped if I was being bullied, she was going to be there for me. I told her she didn't know anything about what was going on, she keep pushing. I told her about you and me, the fight with that pop singer boy and why, and what had happened between us a few hours ago. She believed I was heartbroken because you left me, said things about you. I got angry, I mocked her, call her naïve." He looked at the ceiling "I did what you said I was going to do, push her to a wall with a lot of force, tried to show her what being with me really was, she got scared and I laughed, I told her not to judge you and that she didn't even knew who we really are."

Poor girl, Zuko's anger was a real show, the people usually got scared easily but she was used to his displays, and she always thought that Azula's loss of control was worst than Zuko. But he really could hurt someone in his rage.

"Obviously she got back to them, told her brother and... well, you can imagine what happened next." It's obvious why he didn't had a partner anymore.

"She pushed you, you asked to be left alone." She was not defending what he did, it's wrong.

He shrugged. "I thought I didn't deserve her attention, so I just wanted her to stop once and for all." He looked at her. "I hurt you so deeply that I thought I didn't deserve anything."

How dramatic of him.

"She's a very nice person." She's one of those lovely girls, who everybody could love for her charisma, kind heart, beautiful passion and astonishing look. "You should..."

"We helped each other." Sure, with her nice and lovely personality she healed him. Zuko touched her hands, she recoiled. "I want you to understand that I appreciated her as friend, but nothing more."

She sighed. That didn't change anything.

"I think you will like her." In another world perhaps.

"Whatever, there are your friends not mine."

He observed her for a while, he got near her she did wanted to move but there was no more space in the sofa.

"I was jealous." He spoke watching his hands. "You're so…" She side glanced him. "Beautiful." She scowled. "The men look at you all the time and..."

"Oh it's my fault." Classic.

"No!" He fretted. "I never thought... I never..." He was going to touch her in the face but she retreated. "You, you're so beautiful, Mai" His fingertips brushed her lips. "And you never express a lot of joy when you're with me" He looked at his knees and maybe he planned to touch his scar but he stopped in the middle. "So I don't know... maybe you are with them and you think you can have much better."

"Thanks" She hurt him. "So I'm shallow." He opened his eyes with surprise. He denied with his head. "I should chose some idiot like Roun Jian or maybe Chang, who do you think is prettier for me?" It wasn't like she saw his face and she had an orgasm for it and it wasn't as she ignore the scar or imagine him without it. She just had never cared.

"I'm not..." Mai frowned.

To tell the truth the scar wasn't something attractive, it's ugly. His left side had been melt. He had been in excruciating pain, the recovery had been hell, he still has nightmares about it, he gets nervous when the people light matches or a lighters near him, he has problems with his sight, so no, she didn't thought of his scar as something attractive.

Fuck those who said scars made someone attractive.

"Clever." She finished. He hunched.

"Normal." He huffed. "You know what I'm mean." He saw his knees again.

"And I'm?" He looked at her, both laughed. Zuko hold her hand."I haven't forgive you."

"I'll grovel on the floor." He said. She was going to protest but the idea was interesting. Her lips twitched. "All the times you think necessary."

"Nude with a chocker." He snorted.

"Whatever turns you on." She was going smiled but when she watched him at his eyes, she couldn't. "Mai?"

"I'm never going to be like _that_ girl" She released his hand, he was going to protest "Sweet and kind, liking pink and romance, talking about love, peace and hope." Neither she was going to be voluptuous. "I'm not going to ask you talk about feelings, pouring our hearts and cry a river over it. I probably will mock if you try."

"I know how you're" He said. "Talk about feelings is overrated. Look what happened when I did it, people gets scare and want me to immediately feel fine" Yes people like to hear the world was good and full of love, if you don't said it, you're wrong. Well, the world was ugly. "And I'm a disaster, I'll probably will get in troubles more times that I help myself" He's no poet and that was truth. "But I want to know if you're happy or angry, if I'm being an idiot, or if I'm hurting you, you should express yourself much more." That's not a bad idea.

"No walking on the beach holding hands with a dreadful sappy song in the background?"

"We could walk on the graveyard holding hands or in a gothic convention." She laughed.

"And with t-shirts for couples?"

"Totally!" He acknowledged.

"Fine, but only if it's says: If you want to speak to me, ask my Domina first." He laughed. "I can use: Zuko's Domina or just The Domina"

"Will do." He answered happily, getting very close.

"I want flowers too." He frowned.

"You hate flowers, you dislike the smell of the lava roses."

"There're more flowers that the stupid roses." He shrugged then nodded. "And no tulips or flowers too smelly or too bright."

"Fine, I'll grovel on the floor with a bouquet of flowers" She coked a brow "naked with a choker of your liking." She smiled, he got very near to her face, she cared his cheek.

"I'll do my best for your mushy feelings." He chuckled "For real! No sex without mushy dates."

Both looked at each other for a few seconds before guffawed.

"We will fail" he stated and kissed her, she let herself be dragged bellow him. "I don't want you to change that, don't ever felt ashamed." He looked directly at her eyes. "Don't ever let me make you feel ashamed for that."

She grabbed him by the throat. "You said one more time I'm your whore, I leave you forever."

"Don't hesitate."

They were not going to be perfect, they had never been and will never be, but they're going to keep trying and that was good enough for Mai.


	8. Epilogue

Epilogue

He entered to his home feeling the change of temperature immediately, it's very warm. He was glad he decide to come back even if he had to walk under the heavy rain. His stomach growled at the smell of warm dinner, he hurried to take off his shoes and socks, he had recently moped the floor and didn't wanted to get it dirty.

He searched with his eyes in the apartment for Mai, perhaps she was doing something in their room because the light was on. He passed through the piano and the table, Mai should have recently done the yakisoba, it's still warm. He climbed the stairs to their room and crossed the curtain beds they use as door. Apartment was a fancy name for the place they're living, it used to be a mechanic workshop or something like that, until the current owner decide to have his own place to live, it'd been great until he got a better job in the Republic. Mai had liked the industrial air the place had, the only room of the place was above the sitting room and the kitchen. Both had supposed the owners had observed the workers from there, sometimes Toph liked to spend time pretending to watch them when she visited them. It's a great place except there was little privacy.

"Mai?" He called her. She was sprawled in their bed in pajamas with her belly exposed and no blanked to cover.

She barely move, perhaps she had had a rough day, he tried to not make a lot of noise while changing to pajamas, he's too cold to sleep in boxers.

"Yu... mmm" she murmured.

"Go back to sleep." He kissed her forehead, she was warm.

"You cold?" she slurred the words, while trying to get up.

"It's raining." He answered searching for a blanked to give her. "Sleep." She sneezed.

She denied with her head. "I was waiting for you." She rubbed her eyes. "I'm hungry" she pouted.

"I'm sorry, the traffic got worst with the rain." The University of Ba Sing Se was not that far from where they lived but with the rain the roads got flood and the transportation had problems.

"It's cold." She rubbed her arms and searched for a sweater.

"What were you doing in here?" He asked.

"I was waiting for the terror tests." She answered and sneezed again.

"Oh!" The terror tests were the pregnancy tests she regularly did "You wanna check?"

"Nah, I want to eat!" She happily got down the stairs and he followed her.

She served the dinner meanwhile he prepared the table in the living room.

"Have you reach a decision?" He asked her when he found the letters of the University of Ba Sing Se and the Northern Water Tribe in the sofa.

Mai put the pot on the table and barely glanced the papers he had in his hand.

"I'm sure Katara can help you find another good option to live in the north."

Mai nodded but didn't say anything. As great as this year had been, he wanted her to keep going with her career and if Ba Sing Se University was not an option for her, well he couldn't stop her from going to the Northern Water Tribe, even if he was going to miss her, a lot.

"I don't like the cold." She said giving him his plate and sitting next to him.

"Are you going to accept aunt Mura offer?" He hadn't wanted to push her, however he wanted her to stay. He wanted to go with her to the university, walk hand by hand in the gardens, keep having diners in different places, get to sleep next to her every night but the University of Ba Sing Se only had offered her 40% of an scholarship, the Northern Water Tribe a full scholarship. Her aunt had offered her to pay the University but Mai didn't felt comfortable with that.

She seemed uncomfortable. "Zuko... you know what I think about it" She eat her noodles. He looked at her. "I don't want to discuss this again." He understood her, as much as she loved Mura, she felt she had no right in making her pay for her studies.

"I know" He was disappointed. "You could pay her later." He added.

"I own her too much already" Mai denied. "And... my mother has denied her to even talk with Tom-Tom too."

Despite the fact that her father didn't lose his job and Azula failing had nothing to do with her, her family still didn't talk to her. Mura had tried to talk to them, but they weren't interested in change their minds. In his opinion as Mai was glad that he didn't talk to his father, he was glad she didn't talk to them either, it's the best for both. But it hurt Mai not to talk to Tom-Tom.

"What? Why?!"

Mai leaved her plate in the table. "My uncle was planning to spend the holidays checking the fields outside Ba Sing Se" He remembered that House, they had spent nice days there. "He asked for Tom-Tom to go with him but my mother said that she wasn't going to allow him to corrupt her son with me and my aunt presence." He leaved the plate in the table and shed her tears

"We'll find a way, Mai." He hugged her and kissed her in the forehead "We'll."

Mai tried to stop her tears with her hands, she hated to cry. "I can't keep dragging my aunt" She rubbed her eyes.

"I don't think she see it that way." Mai was going to protest. "Is your mother the one who is wrong."

"I know" She sighed, he looked at her. "I really know" She leaned on him. "But I still get hurt."

He wanted to tell her one day will stop hurting, but he really didn't know. He had accepted the fact that his father didn't love him and probably never will, not because there was something wrong with him, his father... well maybe he never had the ability to love or he had been broken. His grandfather had never been an amorous father either. And as much as he wanted to say he didn't care anymore, every time he faced his father for Azula, he hurt him. So no, he couldn't say that one day that wound was not going to hurt anymore.

"I love you." He told her. Mai smiled. Both maybe rejected by their parents, but they had each other, their uncles and their friends.

"How was your classes?" She started to eat again. Zuko smiled

He got a good scholarship for the University of Ba Sing Se. He still worked with his Uncle to pay for what he needed, besides pick some job here and there to have more money.

"Fine" He picked his plate. "I'm ready for the vacations."

"Talking about it, I saw Ty Lee." He was surprised. "She'll stay with her troupe in Ba Sing Se for a few weeks, they will perform for the Earth King and then they will go to the Northern Air Temple."

Surprisingly, Ty Lee had left the Fire Nation and now she played the violin with a circus while walking in a rope or some other crazy act. She was great.

"She gave me tickets for the next week, can you come?" she sneezed.

"Sure." He ate his noodles. "Will you be ok?" Amazingly Azula was traveling with Ty Lee, she didn't performed but she helped the Circus getting sponsors, and producing new acts. She was getting better, she couldn't play the piano but she seemed to be fairing much better than him after his father burned him.

She shrugged. "I still haven't forgive her but she's helping Ty Lee." She played with her chopsticks. "And she had been nice the last time." Mai hadn't wanted to talk to Azula at first, but slowly both were making peace. He knew Mai tried it because it's important for him. "I'm not ready yet." He appreciated that and he didn't pushed her, even he needed years to be at peace with Azula. "Her new act seems great." He bet, Azula had a lot of creativity. "I believe Suki was involved too."

Zuko cocked his only brow. Suki got an scholarship in Omashu, some people complained and said that she got the scholarship because nobody cared to apply for Omashu, so they didn't wanted to just throw away the money. They were wrong, Suki was great. And strangely, Ty Lee's Troup was based there, so they started to be friends.

"That's why Suki is here too?" She was on holidays, Zuko was going to have his holidays in a few weeks.

Mai denied with her head. "It's just coincidence, she's visiting Sokka actually."

Sokka got a partial scholarship, but he came to Ba Sing Se because it's the only University that accepted him to change his career to composer. His father could help him since Katara got a full scholarship but she decided to go to the Republic City University as Aang and Toph.

"Did she told you about her project?" Mai asked.

"Not yet" Suki had mentioned something about it, but he hadn't had the opportunity to talk with her. "You know?"

Mai smiled. "I think you will like it." She sneezed.

He hummed. "She told me she had something for you, too."

"It sounds interesting." It sounded as he wasn't going to have a say in the matter, but if Mai approved and was happy, he probably was going to like it anyway.

"When did you talk to her?" Suki had barely arrive as far as he knew.

"I went with Sokka to a new place and he told me." Zuko grunted. At first he had been worried because Mai thought that Sokka was an utter babbling idiot, however Sokka found his way to her and now they were partners in crime. Suki and him had to dragged them several times from unhealthy and unsanitary restaurants. "I think you will like it too, it's a ramen buffet."

"Why will I want to eat so much ramen?" If he was really hungry he could eat two plates, but no more.

"It's cheap" she objected "And I think I can eat at least three plates."

"Please don't"

"You said you didn't mind if I get fat." She complained.

For some odd reason Mai had this idea of putting on weight. He didn't minded, as long as she felt comfortable with herself, besides she had better hips and she looked healthier. But he kept that opinions to himself, she was a bit insecure about her figure even if he told her over and over again how beautiful she really was.

"I don't but you and Sokka go to unhealthy places." He pointed, her cheeks went pink. Last week she had an stomach ache and now she may have the flu "You had been sick several times, I don't like to see you throw up."

"I don't like it too." He wasn't sure because she keep bingeing in unhealthy food. "I gain weight" she felt so proud of herself. "Some of my jeans don't close anymore." He kissed her. "Sokka says I have a bigger ass."

"He shouldn't look at your ass." He murmured. She laughed. "But I'll have to check on that."

"Sure you'll." She finished to eat her Yakisoba and sneezed.

"You have to go to the doctor, Mai."

"It's nothing." She stated stubbornly. "I just spend a lot of time in my aunt flower shop and the new depend has a lot of cats, tons of cats. I think I'm allergic to one or two."

"Oh, really?" She liked cats, but the fluffy ones made her sneeze. They were thinking in adopt a cat or a dog or something.

"She's a good manager." Some days she worked in the flower shop some days in the tea shop. And she took a rest when Zuko had free days too. "She has some ideas for the new season, they're great, I want to try her ideas for the photoshoot." Mai had taken a liking to photograph and had gone to some classes this year. "Who knows, maybe I can advertise the Jasmine Dragon at the same time."

"That's good." She had taken some photographs to promote the Jasmine Dragon on social networks and younger people had become regulars.

"Iroh got me another shoot." He leave his plate in the table. "It's for a coffee store."

"That's great, maybe you could pay some of the expenses from your shootings as freelance." He wanted her to accept Mura offer and stay in Ba Sing Se. She looked at him. "I'm sure in the Northern Water Tribe..."

She sighed. "Zuko" He shut up. "I never really liked play violin."

He blinked. "But... but we had fun."

"I liked to be with you." He didn't know what to say. "Mother wasn't going to let me stop my ballet classes if she didn't win something from it, so I say I liked violin to stay more time with Azula and you."

"You're a good violinist, Mai." She rolled her eyes. "I'm not saying it because I love you, you really are a good one."

"Thanks" She said. "But I don't want to keep playing."

"Mai!" He stared at her with surprised eyes.

"I'm not saying I won't play anymore." She cared his face. "I'll play with you anytime" He leaned in her hands."But I don't want to go to the university to study violin." Oh Great Agni!

"Are you sure?"

"Yes." She answered without hesitation. "It took me sometime to realize it" She released his face and leaned on the sofa. "All my life I have done whatever other people told me to. Ballet because my mother wanted, violin to keep being friends with Azula and to be with you" He had never thought so, he always had thought she really liked to play. "But now that I don't need to pretend anything and you love me even if I don't play violin" he put an arm around her shoulders. "I like playing violin but I don't want it to be my career."

He hugged her. He felt like he had been an asshole, all this time he brought to her ideas to live in the Northern Water Tribe or in Ba Sing Se as a violinist and she had been dealing with what she really wanted in her life.

"You should have told me sooner."

"I wasn't that sure" She got closer to him "I really liked to play with you." Zuko hold her hands. "And I thought: maybe I can keep doing it, it's not as if I have something else to do." She pressed her lips "But seeing you with all that passion when you play the piano and all that ideas and dreams you have and I never really felt the same with the violin." He cared her face with his nose. "And I thought, it would be great if I find what I like to do."

"Whatever you decide to do, I'm going to be with you." She kissed his nose.

"I'm not sure what I'm going to do." She shrugged. "But I want to be with you." He ran his fingers through her hair, she looked at him and they kissed.

"I'm so happy, Mai." And indeed he was.

"I don't know, Zuko." She smirked. "Maybe I'll join the circus, too." He laughed.

"You will look amazing in leotards."

"Ah, have you been seeing Ty Lee's bum?" He kissed her. He laid on the sofa with Mai on top of him, he got his hand inside her shirt. She shivered and sneezed again.

"It's cold, let's go to the bed." He was going to complain, but it's true and it's much comfortable to be in the bed for this. "I'll put this on the fridge."

Zuko nodded. "I'll prepare things." Mai smirked.

"Oh, I bought the ingredients you asked, they're in the lowest part."

"Thanks, you'll like this new dish." He told her and he hoped she will liked it. He tried to do different dishes, for the strict and ridiculous rules her mother had, Mai didn't had the opportunity to have taste several dishes any kid should have.

"Sure." She answered, he smiled while preparing the bed to rest.

He went to the bathroom to turn off the lights, then he looked at the testes. He picked the first one to throw it away.

He heard Mai making sure the door of the entrance was looked, she turned off the light of the living room before climbing the stairs.

"Tomorrow I'll go with Iroh first, do you want me to wait for you there?" she asked him from the bed. "Do you want to eat with Sokka and Suki?"

"Mai" She snuggled in the sheets.

"It's cold, come here."

He sat in the bed.

"Turn off the lights first." She complained.

"I think we should go to the doctor, tomorrow." She rolled her eyes annoyed.

"I don't have the flu, is an allergy to something."

"I don't think is the flu, Mai." He pet her hair and gave her the test.

"Don't joke about it." She sat and looked at the stick. "Sometimes fail." He gave her the other two. All of them were positive. "But... but... we're careful." He put the sticks in the night table, before embracing her. They usually were careful, but accidents happen or they were careless. And Zuko had the worst lucky of all. "What are we gonna do? We're a mess. I always leave my clothes all over the room"

"Calm down, Mai." She looked at him, both were frightened.

"Did that serve you?"

"No, but I don't want to panic either." She nodded and murmured not panic while she lied on the bed. Zuko went to turn off the light in the bathroom. Mai was going to panic and he didn't know if that was good or bad. He still didn't know how to react.

"It's a solution" she said, "and easy one."

He looked at her, he didn't wanted to think about it. "First we need to be certain."

"Yeah... maybe, maybe I'm just... maybe there's something wrong with me." Zuko got near her, he cared her face. She turned her face to him, she was perfect. He was going to say it, but she stopped him.

Zuko embraced her, they're going to be ok, things hadn't been easy for them in the last year, actually things had never been easy for them. Her family, his family, all the things that had lived together, the time they had been forced to be apart. They had always faced troubles.

"Well at least you can stop scolding me for going to cheap restaurants." Zuko blinked. "They're not unhealthy, you gave me the parasite."

Both laughed hysterically, then they panic.

•

She sat in the floor and admired her job. She had never been a sentimentalist, but if she felt her eyes pricking, her husband probably was going to cry. Her eyes traveled for all over the pictures in the wall, it's amazing how many years have passed and how many things have changed and more things were going to come. Yes, definitely her husband was going to cry. Both were going to, their baby was leaving home to find her own place in the world.

Izumi was excited and thrilled by the idea of living on her own in Republic City, while studying Literature, in a similar way her parents did. Of course Mai and Zuko were glad that her circumstances were far from their stories. She had their support, morally and financially to study what she liked and she got the admission through her hard work, no drama involved.

She took a sip of her coffee.

Izumi came in a chaotic moment of their lives, they had no money, no plans and no sense. Both debated for a while if they should have her, both knew it's crazy, but they were too scare to go for an abortion. The mere idea put Zuko green, she tried twice, one going alone that ended with her crying like a baby and the second aunt Mura accompanied her but she panic and cried like a baby again. Zuko took her to the clinic one day and promised to hold her hand the whole time, but she looked at the entrance and panicked again. Until this day, Zuko sustain that he knew it was the best solution and was at peace with the idea, they could have another kid later, but he just didn't had the courage to actually see her doing it.

In perspective, that showed how immature both were.

Their friends helped them a lot, she specially bonded with Katara in that time, no shame in saying she kinda hated her before, but she helped her as much as she could and explain her a lot about taking care of babies and even herself. As much as Iroh had had some experience with babies, there were topics that were to uncomfortable to talk with him and aunt Mura had no experience. Toph was of no use as were Ty Lee and Azula. Suki help her too, but she hadn't spend a lot of time taking care of babies as Katara did when helping her grandmother, who was a midwife and Sokka was always good for comic relief, even thought he did say a lot of mean jokes to her.

It's no easy time for Zuko either with her being pregnant, then giving birth, the university, the job and the trial against his father. The trial put both on them in a real tight spot, the lawyers tried to point that Zuko wanted the money to solve his problems, besides what kind of guardian he could be when he got his girlfriend pregnant. The scandal was too juicy for the media to stay the hell out. Thankfully, Iroh stepped several times for Mai's sake and he even tried to be a mentor for Azula.

Izumi became the source of their happiness, in the middle of that horrible time. She and the band they formed with their friends. At first the project seemed the cliché dream of every teenager who liked music. A new rock band, and for the most part she just humor them, because she was with child and couldn't do a lot anyway. But turned out, a lot of teens liked folk metal bands. Suki got this idea of a metal band using traditional instruments, Sokka thought it's cool and decide to share the idea with all of them.

Mai, with the help of Ty Lee, directed the videos and photo shooting for the band. Sokka and Azula were in charge of producing the material as well as promoting the bad. Aang, Zuko, Katara, Toph and Suki composed the songs. Sokka, Ty Lee and she, occasionally played too.

After a terrible year, in a point when Zuko and she didn't know if they were going to have enough money, the band became a hit. Things should have gone slightly better after having a respite with the money, but once the band became famous and her work was deem as good, the people started to talk about everything.

She was until this day a failure because she got pregnant at a very young age, never went to the University, didn't became a beacon for the feminists, the LGTB community or some minor community. So it became a major crime for a rude, not very expressive and Goth girl to have one of the most popular men in the world.

She admits it had not been good times for her, with Zuko traveling around the world and focusing in finish his University, she felt alone and frustrated, she wanted to do things too but she had Izumi to take care of. She should have been more supporting of him, specially because they were at the end of the trial with Ozai. But she just was too tired, and of course she shout at Zuko a lot of things among them: I don't have the privilege of leaving my daughter to do what I want. He called her ungrateful and insensible, he was making money for both and was trying to help Azula. And she told him, sure give me the money and leave after all I spend my life in the couch watching soap operas and Azula is a child that can't fend for herself. In her defense, Zuko gave Azula support, but he didn't involve a lot in her life. He didn't knew she was dating someone and she was too pleased to announce him that.

That was a hard time for both, they were angry at each other and were behaving like the spoiled kids they have always been. Funny thing, that's the time when her work as photographer paid out and she started to get very busy making shootings for a lot of artists and not only in the music world. She felt herself very proud, very great and ironically, she did commit a stupid mistake.

Zuko was still distant, she had the feeling he was getting involved with someone and in her arrogance she acted as she didn't care at all. And she met Natsuo, she never had feelings for him, she was only interested in his work: erotic photography. Both got along very well, and started to go together to a lot of places, no shame in saying it's kind of revenge too. And maybe she did things that may have give him other impression, or maybe he was just so enthralled with the idea of stealing someone else wife. She never knew his thoughts, and did never cared.

Zuko did warned her and she ignored his words, because what you know, you are never here. In his defense, he had finished the university, the next album of the band was postpone until everyone finished the university and had sorted out other possibilities.

She felt for the most simple trick, _hey wouldn't you like to have some nice photos_. And she fell like an idiot, of course when she realized what really was about, she smacked him with the camera an ran home. Izumi was with Iroh, but Zuko was home she told him everything, he acted pretty calm even thought he call her idiot for putting herself in danger. She replied with a feeble, I have stretch marcs and cellulite, he rolled his eyes before saying: _your beautiful and men look at you, but you always think I'm joking._ And she decided to speak about her suspicions, anyway she already was an idiot.

She was not entirely wrong, he did felt attracted to a woman. He was having a hard time balancing everything was happening and he wanted to come home and have a supporting wife, but she always was taking care of Izumi, taking her to some extra classes, worrying about money and taking a lot of photo shootings to compensate. No he didn't cheat on her, but he almost did. Oddly enough Azula helped him, she scolded him, called him idiot and told him to man up and go home to get back what he really wanted or let her go and regret losing his family by his own doing. He fought back, obviously but Azula told him: you love her, you swallow your pride, you beg on knees, take care of your own daughter asshole and then both can try to find a middle ground.

So, he came home but now she wasn't and he thought that it's not bad because she was free to take care of her career. And he realized that taking care of Izumi was no easy thing.

He offered to tell her everything about that woman, but Mai didn't care, she believe him. Both had acted wrong and they still wanted to be together, so they worked on that. Mai never talked to Natsuo again, he got spooked by Zuko and she didn't care to find what happened. They decided to take a break, Izumi enjoyed the long vacations. The trial against Ozai finally ended, Azula and Zuko won, gaining money enough to not worry for a while.

They decided to have a new start, Ba Sing Se was a city with bittersweet memories for them and strangely they decided to go to Ember Island. Zuko was now owner of some house records with Azula, but he knew nothing, Azula did most of the administrative work and he created music. Mai gave a try in the erotic photography to Zuko discomfort, because he was her main object. Both agree that in one of those sessions she got pregnant again.

She played violin with him for his next album. And produced all his videos and photographs, they got a lot of critics because how dare a pregnant woman do something so erotic with her husband and share it to the world.

Fuck them.

No shame in saying a lot of people bought the disc just for the photographs. And Mai was very happy to announce to the world that she maybe the worst woman in the world, but Zuko was hers and his fans had to deal with it.

Sadly Izumi was not happy for sharing their attention and felt ambivalent toward the sibling she had asked since she learn to speak. But Zuko was happy for having time to spend with his son, he had lose some precious time with Izumi, and he couldn't get that back, but know he promised to not let that happen. They had money, both could enjoy their careers and their children. Azula helped them and enjoyed being with the kids. She had got a lot better, still she couldn't play the piano.

A lot of things happened, Katara and Aang married, Sokka and Suki broke up. Mai felt like betraying Suki when Zuko and her allowed Sokka to take a vacation in the house for some months. But Suki told her it's fine, she knew both love her too. Toph got with child an refused to tell them who the father was or let them help. She was rude to Katara, but in Toph's defense, Katara got really annoying with her recommendations. Ty Lee got into a relationship that ended in tragedy, she was so heartbroken that Azula and Mai went to get her, coincidentally Suki was visit them and after a few weeks, Ty Lee decided to go with her to Kyoshi island.

At the end of the year, Izumi got the lead role for a play that the school was going to give, she was so happy that she practiced all day long. Mai was sick of hear the lines that she truly ignored her daughter every time she started, Zuko had more patience but he was glad when the big day arrived. Azula went to the play with earplugs, _we all knew the damn play by now that it'll not make difference_, she told them. The play was memorable for two things, Izumi decided she didn't like to act anymore, to everybody relief, and Ursa sudden apparition.

Ursa was living in Hira, a town near to Ember Island and she had come to help her friend who coincidentally was the principal of Izumi's school. Mai always had the suspicion Ursa saw Izumi and decide to give a try that day, but Ursa claimed she didn't know about them. It's no easy encounter, for obvious reasons. Zuko who always missed his mother forgave her immediately and integrated her to their lives. Azula was not so easy, Mai feared for her stability but as much as she disliked the woman for leaving her children behind with a mad man, she took care of Azula. She still believe Ursa could have done something against Ozai, but once that man threaten you with killing one of your children because he doesn't like the way you're raising him, you can only run away.

Kiyi, Zuko and Azula half-sister became friends with Izumi and they created new plays. Little Rei suddenly had two big sisters who played with him. All in all they had good times, she was so drunk with the happiness that she allowed Zuko to impregnate her again. And so little Aki came to the world as the chubbiest child she had ever seen.

All good things end, and Ozai did create problems for them, but none of his children fear him anymore not even Ursa. Her mother decided to suddenly appear, until this day she doesn't know if her mother came back because her daughter was well established in the music industry and hopped she helped father to come back after Ozai's fall. The only good thing was that now she could talk with Tom-Tom. Sokka had bad times and terrible relationships. Toph got with child for the second time in the middle of a turbulent relationship, she got dump almost at the end of her pregnancy. Thankfully Sokka stepped out to help her and everybody was glad he got stability. Aang and Katara passed through a rocky moment after the birth of their second child. Again they bonded taking about how insensible and idiotic their husband were, it's the worst hangover of her whole life but both enjoy it. Ty Lee married a girl in Kyoshi Island. Suki created a band with their friends in Kyoshi and became a hit. She and Zuko had their problems with Izumi and Kiyi becoming teenagers. Aunt Mura died and she had a hard time grieving. Then Iroh passed away and was a difficult time for Zuko.

Azula broke for the last time before she accepted, she was never going to play the piano again. Whatever damage Ozai did to Azula the day he leaved her in that fated Concours, it was never going to disappear. It's a pity because she had been a prodigy, Mai still remembered some pieces played by her and no pianist in the world could compare to some of her performances. Perhaps it's part of the reason why both decided to encourage they children to pursue other kind of careers.

"I'm going to miss her so much." She smiled when she felt her husband embrace. Zuko's looking at the pictures in the wall, initially they put photographs to decorate but later they decided to use the whole wall to the special memories and now there were so many that seemed they had most of their lives there. The last one was with Izumi holding her high school diploma.

"So do I." Indeed, she was going to. "But you have two children to spoil yet."

Besides, probably Rei will stay in the Fire Nation, he wanted to study arts. They're not sure where Aki was going to study violoncello, the Fire Nation was a good option for the University but the Northern Water Tribe was a good option too.

"You'll not have with who to fight."

"I have you." She got annoyed, Izumi got the worst of both, extremely calm most of the time but when in rage or excitement, she was all Zuko's brashness. "And I don't fight with her, I just bring her to earth." He kissed her in the cheek.

"She will do good." He stated.

"Did that serve you?" She impishly asked.

"No, but this time, I really don't want to panic." Both laughed. "I'm sure she'll do much better than us." They have always talked openly to their children about their lives, the good and the bad things in hope they choose better.

"So do I."

•

•

And that's the end.

All in all I think the story was rushed and has tons of loop holes. Supposedly I was going to publish it for the Fire Nation Royal Family week, but later I didn't wanted to drag the story more because I was going to participate in the Maiko week (I didn't participate with a fanfic even thought I have one that is half written and my other excuse is because I'm working in another long fanfic). Now I hope to participate in October, but that story is all about fluff.

In other words, don't work in more than two fanfics.

I hope all of you enjoyed the story even if is rushed has loop holes and has tons of mistakes.

Some things that didn't got in the story:

I don't know who Azula was dating, but she had a happy ending.

Zuko's a bit sad his children didn't want to play piano, but later, one of his grandchildren did became a pianist and he personally teach him.

Mai and Sokka are great friends, Zuko's a bit jealous that sometimes Sokka prefers Mai over him.

Toph and Sokka never had a relationship but he became a father for Toph's children.

Aang was going to have major role, but his story was going to drag the story.

Sokka's jokes about Mai's sudden pregnancy and then uses that to nickname Izumi.

I don't know if Aki is male or female.


End file.
